I'm Feeling Lucky

The Confessions of Google Employee Number 59

By: Douglas Edwards

Narrated by: Douglas Edwards

Length: 16 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

Comparing Google to an ordinary business is like comparing a rocket to an Edsel. No academic analysis or bystander's account can capture it. Now Doug Edwards, Employee Number 59, offers the first inside view of Google, giving listeners a chance to fully experience the bizarre mix of camaraderie and competition at this phenomenal company.

Edwards, Google's first director of marketing and brand management, describes it as it happened. We see the first, pioneering steps of Larry Page and Sergey Brin, the company's young, idiosyncratic partners; the evolution of the company's famously nonhierarchical structure (where every employee finds a problem to tackle or a feature to create and works independently); the development of brand identity; the races to develop and implement each new feature; and the many ideas that never came to pass. Above all, Edwards - a former journalist who knows how to write - captures the Google Experience, the rollercoaster ride of being part of a company creating itself in a whole new universe.

I'm Feeling Lucky captures for the first time the unique, self-invented, yet profoundly important culture of the world's most transformative corporation.

©2011 Douglas Edwards (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"This lively, thoughtful business memoir is more entertaining than it really has any right to be, and should be required reading for startup aficionados." ( Publishers Weekly)

"Douglas Edwards is indeed lucky, sort of an accidental millionaire, a reluctant bystander in a sea of computer geniuses who changed the world. This is a rare look at what happened inside the building of the most important company of our time." (Seth Godin)

"Douglas Edwards recounts Google's stumble and rise with verve and humor and a generosity of spirit. He kept me turning the pages of this engrossing tale." (Ken Auletta, author of Googled: The End of the World as We Know It)

“With a warm, approachable tone and perfect pacing, Edwards narrates his detailed account of his experiences as an early employee of Google, Inc….Edwards seems a natural as he provides a highly listenable audio performance….the listener walks away with a better understanding of how true organizational creativity and brilliant technical engineering can impact the human condition and world culture.” ( AudioFile)

Simply, and phenomenally, Google!

This is just hands down a great book packed with insight into one of the most powerful information technology services! You will not be disappointed!

A First-Hand Look into the Growth of Google

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, excellent story and voice, especially since the author himself is narrating the book.

What did you like best about this story?

That it's true, and the author was narrating.

What about Douglas Edwards’s performance did you like?

That the listener could tell when Edwards was passionate about the subject or the topic, and parts where he was less enthusiastic or even disappointed (with the real-life result). It felt more like he was talking to me, rather than an audiobook.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Laugh at moments. The story was very humanizing, one can tell when the author was happy, slighted, angry, and/or disappointed.

Any additional comments?

Great for anyone who is interested in the tech world.

Early Days of Google -- First Hand

This book provides insider details on how key decisions were made in the early Google days. There is a high volume of source material that outsiders will have trouble finding. The marketing perspective on this engineer-run company is especially interesting. At the beginning, the sarcastic voice inflections are overdone, but about 20% of the way through, that settles down. The writing is excellent and overall, the reading is well done. If you're interested in technology breakthroughs or Google, this book is highly recommended.

Humorous insight into Google Work Culture

What made the experience of listening to I'm Feeling Lucky the most enjoyable?

I loved the humorous touch by writer and the way he told the story.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Doug, the writer himself.

What does Douglas Edwards bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

His Narration is so good. His humorous tone and way he describes his experiences was best selling point for me.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Lets change the world.

Next great tech drama movie!

Watch out "Social Network" and "Pirates of Siicon Valley" the next great tech movie is contained within the pages this book. I also enjoyed to Jeff Jarvis's "WWGD" and "In the Plex" but this book has great personal drama as well as the interesting Google Story. You can relate the Doug as he takes you on his journey through the world of search, working hard to understand the Google Culture and create a better world. This guy is an awesome writer and a wonderful story teller. I can't wait to see the movie!! I've only written a few reviews but this book is so good I wanted to recommend it to others. This book is not the usual "yada-yada!" Awesome book! Highly recommended!!

A Totally different look at Google

I have to admit that I was somewhat skeptical about this book. A marketing guy's perspective on Google? That's crazy, who cares about that, I thought. But I had just finished a couple other popular books on Google and thought that this might round out my perspective one of the most influential and successful companies of all time.
What I didn't realize was that I would be taken on a tour of Google, from it's childhood through adolescence, as though I were riding on the shoulders of the author. I would listen, mouth agape at the stupidity of running servers without cases on metal racks then marvel at the subtle and not-so-subtle genius exhibited by Googlers. I would learn how a quick hack could lead to billions of dollars of profits but I would also discover that my suspicions about chaotic product management were in fact correct.
"I'm Feeling Lucky" goes where no other Google book dares - it explores the intimately human aspect of a company often characterized as "The Borg." It reveals that Google engineers are not just single-dimensional geeks, but are creative people who share a passion for excellence and doing the "right" thing. But more importantly, it shows us a prime example of how a group of supremely confident and intelligent people can eschew tradition and change the world.

You'll be the lucky one

One of the funniest books I've ever read. The style is witty, kind and down to earth. A must read for anyone who has ever worked at a start-up. Hearing the story from the author's own mouth adds to the personal feeling of the book. You'll be the lucky one if you take the time to listen to this book.

Excellent story and riveting perspective. I enjoyed every minute.

Doug's story was the perspective of a non-engineer that was able to make great contributions to the google brand and culture that it now is. There wasn't a single moment where I was bored. Grab it and enjoy it.

Makes you want to join a Silicon Valley start-up

What made the experience of listening to I'm Feeling Lucky the most enjoyable?

What made it great was that the writer narrated the book, so it sounded so real.

What did you like best about this story?

Getting the inside scoop on Google.

What does Douglas Edwards bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Himself and his reaction to the experience.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

His jumping from the stability of his prior job to join this odd start-up. Turns out he picked the right one.

Any additional comments?

Well done. Bought the Kindle as well.

This was my 3rd Google book and the best by far!

Douglas Edwards I want to be you when I grow up. (I'm 45) This was such a perfect, well crafted book and story. I just recently finished a book about Alibaba (by their former marketing guy) and was disappointed because I think I could have learned just as much by cobbling together some old Alibaba press releases. In your book, you seemed to have the perfect amount of bias and inside story. You never came off as the disgruntled, ex-employee but instead a guy who wanted to share his own experiences from his point of view. It would have been SO easy for you to 'phone in' this book. The title sells itself and you are already financially set so this book could have been so 'surfacey' but it was not! It is so clear you really labored over it and created something special for the reader --- even if somehow they had never heard of Google! Well done!! And, my biggest surprise was you were the narrator. Usually it is very obvious when an author reads his own book and often ends really badly. You were terrific! You could be pro narrator.