Why Google is So Successful

This morning I read that Google’s revenues doubled during the 3rd quarter of 2006. Those impressive gains made me sit down and think about why Google has been so successful. Was it a search algorithm that provided users with relevant information, their spam free search index, the clutter free home page? I have concluded Google is successful because it encourages expression and exchange of ideas among staff members and put together a competent workforce. I’ve listed a few of the reasons I think Google is so attractive to top talent.

Fringe Benefits
Google provides workers with flexible work hours and free meals prepared by some of the world’s top chefs! Some Googleplexes include on site gyms, child care, and volley ball nets!

The 20% Rule
The 20% rule appeals to ambitious and passionate programmers and web developers. The 20% allows employees to use up to 20% of their work week to pursue a project they feel passionate about. It could be almost anything!

Competent Workforce that Gets Along
If you’ve ever read blogs by Googlers you’ll notice they’re very happy with their work environment. They like and respect the people they work with and I’ve yet to see a Googler blog about the moron they hired six months ago to run their department. Because the people that get hired know what they’re doing and get along with others, projects are finished at a remarkable pace.

Stuff Happens
One of the main frustrations programmers and web developers have is the amount of time it takes to implement a good idea. When somebody at google has the next big idea they don’t have to fight their way through an army of lawyers, fill out a trees worth of paper work, or have to hurl their ideas over a castle wall guarded by a moat and memo eating crocodiles. Good ideas go straight to the top and get worked on immediately! Googlers are encouraged to think big and aren’t discouraged or put down when they come up with crazy ideas like “what if we created a free service that allowed people all over the world to view detailed 3-D images of major cities and satellite images of the rest of the world?”

Niniane Wang summed up why I think Google has been performing so well in one sentence: “I interview on average two candidates a week, sometimes for my team and sometimes for Google at large. I look for people that I want to work with – candidates who have strong coding skills and computer science knowledge, are pleasant to interact with, and can get things done.”