It was a future written in the genes that of Larry Page , Silicon Valley child prodigy, founder and CEO of Google. The son of a computer science professor at the University of Michigan and a programming teacher, a childhood spent among processors and the first very heavy computers of the seventies, Larry Page owes his parents not only a very lucky DNA.
But also a propensity to creativity nurtured by very far-sighted educational choices: from Montessori schools, to visits to the first technological conventions , up to a daily, very early exposure to computers. "One of the big distractions in our house was the computer, wiring, and technology magazines scattered all over the place," says Larry Page.
"I remember that I had a great love for reading and that is why I spent a lot of time reading. And then at the same time I was very fond of music. My parents sent me to saxophone lessons. I feel like this has affected my life a lot. If you think about it from a musical point of view, time is the primary thing and I believe that my fixation on speed at Google is due precisely to my musical training ". says Larry Page.
When he was very young he started working on the computer, he was the first in school to bring a homework made with a PC to class and, in the meantime his older brother taught him to break down the objects he found in the house.
"I took everything away from other people because I wanted to see how the plan worked. I realized very early that I wanted to make things" says Larry Page. At age 12, in fact he devoured a biography of Nikola Tesla, a brilliant inventor who died tragically in poverty, a story that in addition to moving him, teaches him the first fundamental lesson on innovation:
"Inventing new things is not enough. You have to be able to bring those inventions into the world and make sure that people can use them. Only in this way can you have a real impact " says Larry Page. And this becomes his mission of life . Google was born right here, while looking for a theme for his doctoral thesis at Stanford, he realizes that he wants to focus on optimizing document searches on the web.
"In the early days there were over 10 million documents on the Internet, and if we could develop a better way to organize and qualify each link, the Web would be much more useful, more valuable and would have gained status. He says" This is how Page finds another PhD student Sergey Brin, and together they start working on Backrub, the first Google prototype. Transforming their respective rooms in the university dormitory into a laboratory and an office.
It is August 1996 when their first search engine finally sees the light of day, Page and his partner are twenty-three years old. "We thought we had developed a very good search tool, capable of sorting through links. In mid-1998 we even recorded about 10,000 searches in a single day. That's when we realized we had a powerful tool in our hands which is very special." However, Page explained that he thought he would have to wait another two years for real progress.
Google comes out from the garage
It was in 1998 that Larry Page and his colleague Sergey Brin moved from their rooms at Stanford to Menlo Park, where Facebook's headquarters are today. First of all, thanks to relatives and friends who managed to rent a garage on a small loan and start working on their creation.
The first check to Google Inc. is signed by Andy Bechtolsheim, another prominent Silicon Valley entrepreneur, who decides to bet $100,000 on the two beardless 20 years old boys. "At that time we had not registered the company. For two weeks, while we were collecting all the documents, we had nowhere to deposit the money." Page said.
When the company is finally registered, Page is appointed chief executive officer and Bern chairman. And from here Google continues to grow and seek investment. Two more years pass and at the turn of the new millennium, the two partners manage to raise the first million dollars. Done, it's a figure that allows a small team to move into an actual office in Mountain View, where Google will become a global company. And in June 1998, Google indexed 1 billion URLs. What, which makes it the most comprehensive search engine in the world.
To change the world you have to have fun
"If our motivation were money, we would sell it practically immediately." Larry Page was seen repeating several times, recalling the launch and various acquisition offers, when Google was just a very promising startup. Yet, for its founder, this search engine was a dream come true in every sense that he had no intention of selling it to the highest bidder.
A revolutionary creation, capable of making a very tangible impact on the world. "Our mission was to organize the world's information and make it accessible and useful to all" and Google fulfilled its promise. The world has indeed changed, completely revolutionizing the search system for data, news and information.
According to Larry Page, this mission is determining the success of the multinational. It is very important and attention-grabbing that we have an idea to work on something important, and if you really want to change or change the world literally and practically, getting up in the morning and coming to the office is a lot easier and a lot more fun."
The best place in the world to work
If the office is Google's headquarters in Mountain View, having fun actually doesn't seem that difficult. We have made every effort to create a space that fosters creativity and exchange. Therefore, the informal environment, sofas, swings, but also the gym, volleyball court and food rules, everything should be kept appropriate.
All of this is designed to promote cross-fertilization, cross-contamination and “out of the box” thinking among employees from different teams as well as, of course, a perfectly flexible time organization. Here, 20% of the time is dedicated to the workers in which they can do what they love to do. Which means participating in another team or area's projects, volunteering or even just sleeping.
Services that go far beyond the company's kindergarten, from laundry service to restaurant catering. "These are simple ways to make our lives easier and solve a lot of small problems for the people who work with us. It motivates people to be more excited and happy, and it's all very convenient and low cost for us. Page said
Commenting on all the countless benefits to his employees and pointing out that often people who don't think to make dinner, do laundry or walk across town to the kids in kindergarten, are also dedicated. A little more time to work, to do nothing. At Google then there are no time stamps, the performance of employees is measured on the results and that of managers through a system that also takes into account the feedback of those who are supervised by them, with a view to a strictly horizontal structure.
"Ideas are more important than age" is a motto that Page likes to repeat, Just because someone is younger doesn't mean they don't deserve respect and collaboration. A recurring phrase that Google's founders often use to describe their leadership philosophies comes with another maxim. "The worst thing you can do in your life is to 'point out' someone. If you say no, then you have to help that person find a better solution."
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And this style, very attentive to efficiency but also to the growth of those who work for him, earned Page a very high degree of approval on Glassdoor with 96% marks. "A silent person who really listens to others", defined him one of his employees and, judging by the degree of satisfaction of the people who work at Google.
For years at the top of the Best Place to Work rankings, it seems that this is a description that fits perfectly Larry Page. "My job as a leader is to make sure everyone who works in our company has the best opportunities to grow. They feel that their nature has a positive impact that they are contributing to the development of society."
Be careful not to miss the future
And if Google is the best place to work, it is also a place where you work a lot . First of all, to lead by example, Larry Page. All the years of success are not enough, multi-billionaire, one of the most powerful men in Silicon Valley, Page continues not to consider himself "arrived" . "You probably think Google works perfectly, but I think it's terrible," he smiled at a press conference.
Indeed, Page's ideal is still far from being achieved. “In my opinion, the search engine of the future should be able to understand everything as quickly as possible and give you exactly what you are looking for. And I can say that we are still very, very far from this ». It is precisely to achieve that ideal that Page keeps getting up every morning and that his large team of computer prodigies continues to work, continuously implementing new functions of the search engine.
"A lot of companies fail because they don't change and keep doing what they've been doing for years and years." Page explained." "You know what's fundamentally wrong? Usually the future is lost and I have no intention of making this happen to us ».
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