The Google Story

Inside the Hottest Business, Media, and Technology Success of Our Time

By: David A. Vise, Mark Malseed

Narrated by: Stephen Hoye

Length: 10 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

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 100 languages, Google’s quest continues as it seeks to add millions of library books, television broadcasts, and more to its searchable database. Listeners 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.

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.

So-so

The Google story is an interesting subject. The author comes across as biased, constantly reminding how incredible Google and its concepts seem to be. It doesn't help that the author adopts a brown-noser tone throughout the book. The story is interesting, if you can put up with these shortfalls (especially the latter one). I would've given it more stars otherwise. I found The Second Coming of Steve Jobs much more interesting and balanced.

Good Book

What did you love best about The Google Story?

Its a good book. The story, history and culture of google are fasinating as they tell the story of how they became. It gets dry in some spots, but gives a good message

Interesting - but not enthralling

The book is interesting, in that it tells the tale of a different company. To a large extent, it provides an insight into the minds of the creators of Google. Notwithstanding, the flow of the book is not good - skips the chronological order sometimes. In addition, the book focuses more on the creators than on the company. Overall, the book is interesting but not enthralling. It is difficult to go thru the book at one sitting.

A Great Story

Well written and true to the facts. I was there after the IPO and at Stanford when they started.

Google Gushing

Whilst I enjoyed the book and generally agree with comments made by other reviewers, I also felt that the exposition came over as somewhat 'twee' and 'hyper'. I simply cannot believe that everything about Google and its development is so extraordinary and everyone concerned is so 'excited' about it all the time. A more balanced presentation would have included a bit more of the down side.

On balance a good listen but too sweet for my taste.