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)

Great Listen

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

Engaging and funny this memoir kept us entertained from start to finish. It made me love Google even more. Thank You.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The narrator. It's his story. Very likeable guy.

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

Very funny in places.

It all makes sense

Douglas Edwards neither puffs himself up, or puts himself down through this book, and he neither sucks up to Larry and Sergey or demeans them, he just puts it out there humourously and seemingly truthfully about what happened. The beginning when he first started at Google seemed to take forever and it was all about him and his experience but later on it gets into the nitty gritty elements about how Google made certain decisions which is very interesting. I like and admire Larry and Sergey more now and can empathise with them, they would certainly be square pegs in round holes if they had to work for anyone, whereas Douglas quite happily admits that he could not be the entrepreneurs that they are. Douglas is witty, clever, a great narrator and is a very good writer. It's quite a long audio book and I listen to about an hour a day as I walk the dog so it feels like I've been absorbed by Google for weeks now, but it has been worth it. Bring on more like this one! It deserves to do very well.

Better Than Expected

Quite a bit better than I expected - I am not typically a fan of business books. For instance, even though I earn a living via Google, I have never read Battelle's book on Google. But I loved this book. Great writing, and I thought it was very broad in scope. It's not just about marketing, or product, or user experience, or Larry or Eric., etc. It's about all of that, and told in such a compelling way - definitely highly recommend this audiobook.

An inside look

If you want to know about Google itself, this book is pretty good - but if you want to know what it was like to work there, then this book is a must read.

Great story - loose the gum

I found this story both informative and entertaining. The author gives great insight into the inner workings of the early years at Google.

I just can't figure out why the narrator and audio producer thought it would be ok for the narrator to have gum in his mouth throughout the recording. Though subtle, it was somewhat distracting at times.

I feel lucky to have found it!

Fascinating peek inside the world of Google as it got its legs. This is the first book I've listened to on regular speed and didn't want it to end. Doug's writing and voice brought great personality to this company we all know and use. Thank you for peeling back the curtain on the early days. It was invigorating to hear about how it all happened. A bit technical in some areas but you will broaden your understanding of how Google works. Highly recommend!

A really interesting recollection

It's an unexpectedly interesting listen and account of the working of the early days of Google. Difficult to tell at some places whether he's not still the Brand Manager for Google -- that's to say it's a very passionate account of one's work experience.

Fascinating insider look

For anyone who lives in the geographical area of Silicon Valley but hasn't ever worked at a start up this is a must read. Fascinating to read how it all unfolded. Simply fun to hear local places being mentioned.

Just fun

Obviously this is just one person's views of early Google, but it is a fun one and may shed some light on what was going on in there.

Well told.

Would you listen to I'm Feeling Lucky again? Why?

I would listen again. It is a story everyone can relate to on some level. Starting with pretty much nothing but then not having to live on a budget - yeah, that is something we can relate to.

What was one of the most memorable moments of I'm Feeling Lucky?

I feel the most memorable moment was the end when he realized he really was lucky. To be with a company from rock bottom until it is so very successful you don't have to work any longer is a good feeling. The little point of being able to buy a coffee not on sale, great.

Which character – as performed by Douglas Edwards – was your favorite?

I think Larry was my favorite character because he was always in the background.

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

A walk from life ordinary to life extraordinary