In the Plex

How Google Thinks, Works, and Shapes Our Lives

By: Steven Levy

Narrated by: L. J. Ganser

Length: 19 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

Few companies in history have ever been as successful and as admired as Google, the company that has transformed the Internet and become an indispensable part of our lives. How has Google done it? Veteran technology reporter Steven Levy was granted unprecedented access to the company, and in this revelatory book he takes listeners inside Google headquarters - the Googleplex - to explain how Google works.

While they were still students at Stanford, Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin revolutionized Internet search. They followed this brilliant innovation with another, as two of Google's earliest employees found a way to do what no one else had: make billions of dollars from Internet advertising. With this cash cow (until Google's IPO, nobody other than Google management had any idea how lucrative the company's ad business was), Google was able to expand dramatically and take on other transformative projects: more efficient data centers, open-source cell phones, free Internet video (YouTube), cloud computing, digitizing books, and much more.

The key to Google's success in all these businesses, Levy reveals, is its engineering mind-set and adoption of such Internet values as speed, openness, experimentation, and risk taking. After it's unapologetically elitist approach to hiring, Google pampers its engineers with free food and dry cleaning, on-site doctors and masseuses, and gives them all the resources they need to succeed. Even today, with a workforce of more than 23,000, Larry Page signs off on every hire.

But has Google lost its innovative edge? It stumbled badly in China. And now, with its newest initiative, social networking, Google is chasing a successful competitor for the first time. Some employees are leaving the company for smaller, nimbler start-ups. Can the company that famously decided not to be "evil" still compete?

No other book has turned Google inside out as Levy does with In the Plex.

This edition of In the Plex includes an exclusive interview with Google's Marissa Mayer, one of the company's earliest hires and most visible executives, as well as the youngest woman to ever make Fortune's "50 Most Powerful Women in Business" list. She provides a high-level insider's perspective on the company's life story, its unique hiring practices, its new social networking initiative, and more.

©2011 Steven Levy (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Thoroughly versed in technology reporting, Wired senior writer Levy deliberates at great length about online behemoth Google and creatively documents the company’s genesis from a 'feisty start-up to a market-dominating giant'.... Though the author offers plenty of well-known information, it’s his catbird-seat vantage point that really gets to the good stuff. Outstanding reportage delivered in the upbeat, informative fashion for which Levy is well known." ( Kirkus Reviews)

"The book, a wide-ranging history of the company from start-up to behemoth, sheds light on the biggest threats Google faces today, from the Chinese government to Facebook and privacy critics." ( The New York Times)

“With a commanding voice, L.J. Ganser narrates this history and exploration of Google….Ganser’s stern voice is clear and moves through the text with determination.” ( AudioFile)

Levy hit another home run

An excellent treatment of the ups and downs for Google. Very interesting information about one of the most secretive companies in the world!

What would we do without Google?

This is great read on the history of Google, it's founders (Larry Page and Sergey Brin), and search technology. In the early days of the internet if you had typed in "newspaper," you would not have gotten "New York Times" or "LA Times" because they didn't have "newspaper" in its title. You had to know exactly what key words would generate the results you wanted. It's amazing to think how far search engines have come -- as you type, they predict what you want and populate key words for you. It is due to Google's extreme focus on technology and goals (speed, measurement, refinement, and openness). And there are many more amazing Google technologies that work seamlessly into our lives, which I have forgotten about -- Google Earth, Google Maps, Google Translate....

There is a lot of reference to "Googley" people and culture and the company's motto of "don't be evil." I think some readers will find it as a bias towards Google. I think it simply describes a workforce obsessively dedicated to doing what they love. For example, many might argue that Google's entry into China was a major stumble and the book doesn't place much accountability on the executives of Google. I think it was daring that Google did that. Selling technology in China is a high-risk proposition. Corruption and copyright infringements turn many companies away from China. Google had to know failure was very likely. Google took a chance to do something for the people of China. Although they censored results as required by the Chinese government, the users were informed on the page whenever results were censored. It was a small step... but an important step to reflect the value of openness -- the Chinese people were told when they weren't getting everything they wanted to see because the government was censoring it.

My time was well spent...Good story

What made the experience of listening to In the Plex the most enjoyable?

Nice flow and new information was presented well

What other book might you compare In the Plex to and why?

The Brain

Which character – as performed by L. J. Ganser – was your favorite?

no

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

The early years at Stanford

Any additional comments?

Very well done

Fantastic book!

This is the best book about google I could find. Extremely interesting, engaging, and inspiring.

Definitely one of my top 5 comany biographies(along with Elon Musk, iWoz, Creativity Inc, and The Launch Pad).

I highly recommend it to all aspiring entrepreneurs, and to people who are just interested in google as well.

Great story. Nice to know more about Google.

I work in Internet advertising, so it was really interesting to hear about Google's growth. Probably the most interesting company today.

Loved it!!!

love this book. found it incredibly insightful and intriguing. can reccommended it to anyone regardless of your profession.

Great Book Worth The Time To Listen

Would you consider the audio edition of In the Plex to be better than the print version?

Dyslexia

What other book might you compare In the Plex to and why?

books

Have you listened to any of L. J. Ganser’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

no

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

most of the book

Any additional comments?

Now I have to figure out how to get Google to Hire me.

Great history of Google

What did you love best about In the Plex?

This was a very thorough description of how Google started and grew with fairly in depth details of the various important areas of Google and its milestones.The author had seemingly unfettered access to many Googlers and went on trips around the world with them.

Any additional comments?

This is a great read or listen if you are interested in Google or hi tech. I highly recommend it.

A bit long but worth it!

The story is a bit long but if you are interested in google, and its troubles with China, this is a must!

Wow -Loved the book!

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

Yes - Anyone who loves Google stuff and technology will love this book.

Any additional comments?

Great book. Must read if you enjoyed Steve Jobs book and alike. If your into tech and the history of tech, you will love this.