The Google Story

By: David A. Vise, Mark Malseed

Narrated by: Stephen Hoye

"Here is the story behind one of the most remarkable Internet successes of our time. Based on scrupulous research and extraordinary access to Google, the book takes you inside the creation and growth of a company whose name is a favorite brand and a standard verb recognized around the world. Its stock is worth more than General Motors’ and Ford’s combined, its staff eats for free in a dining room that used to be run by the Grateful Dead’s former chef, and its employees traverse the firm’s colorful Silicon Valley campus on scooters and inline skates.

THE GOOGLE STORY is the definitive account of the populist media company powered by the world’s most advanced technology that in a few short years has revolutionized access to information about everything for everybody everywhere.
In 1998, Moscow-born Sergey Brin and Midwest-born Larry Page dropped out of graduate school at Stanford University to, in their own words, “change the world” through a search engine that would organize every bit of information on the Web for free.

While the company has done exactly that in more than one hundred languages, Google’s quest continues as it seeks to add millions of library books, television broadcasts, and more to its searchable database.
Readers will learn about the amazing business acumen and computer wizardry that started the company on its astonishing course; the secret network of computers delivering lightning-fast search results; the unorthodox approach that has enabled it to challenge Microsoft’s dominance and shake up Wall Street. Even as it rides high, Google wrestles with difficult choices that will enable it to continue expanding while sustaining the guiding vision of its founders’ mantra: DO NO EVIL."©2005 David A. Vise; (P)2005 Books on Tape, Inc.

Critic reviews

“[The authors] do a fine job of recounting Google’s rapid rise and explaining its search business.”—The New York Times

“An intriguing insider view of the Google culture.”—Harvard Business Review

“An interesting read on a powerhouse company . . . If you haven’t read anything about one of today’s most influential companies, you should. If you don’t read The Google Story, you’re missing a few extra treats.”—USA Today

“Fascinating . . . meticulous . . . never bogs down.”—Houston Chronicle

Interesting for those new to Google

I witness Google growth through the years. While I swear by it, I had no inkling of what was going on in the company. It just worked for me and that was enough. However the incredible success of Google had piqued my interest so, that I had to pick this audiobook up.
For those of you who desire to know how Google got started, how it generates its computing power (they use PCs and not servers! millions and millions of them), how Google managed to come up with such a profitable business strategy, and what actually goes on inside the Googleplex, this is a book for you.
Yes there is a little fluff, and most of the info is readily available on the net, but the book does package them all well.
I learned that Google is actually in a war with Microsoft not just on products but for raw talent in recruited the best and brightest next generation knowledge worker. It now makes more sense for me. I'm satisfied that I gave this book a go.

Very general, but better to know some!

Gives some insights, but not as much as I’d hoped. How they began, what they’d learned who invested what, why, when etc…details!

A must read.

This is book has great insight into a great story. Well done. I highly recommend this book.

highly interesting but highly self-aggrandaising

The Google Story gives a good high level overview of this amazing company, its history, goals, strategy and successes. It does inspire some amazement and thought. However the self-aggrandaising tone of both the book and especially the reader can get pretty hard to deal with at times. But if you can get past that I think you come away quite more knowledgable about this historic and truly world changing technology and the company behind it.

Interesting Read

Very interesting book to listen to? facts I was unaware of and I closely followed this company. I would have given it a 5/5, if the author better organized the information it often repeats the same facts several times. The author gives both sides of the controversies.

Good overall book.