At 41 years old, Larry Page leads one of the most successful, forward-thinking companies in the world. But Google didn't bloom from a doctoral research project at Stanford into a search-AI-robotics-hardware-ISP-retail-delivery-media company, all rolled into one, overnight.
The internet giant was built on five basic principles, which Page recounted for a room full of entrepreneurs at Stanford in 2002 (see above). It's a helpful primer for anyone trying to start their enterprise, looking for a new gig, or embarking on a PhD thesis. Take note, and who knows: one day you might be at the helm of your own web colossus.
Work is all about the people. After all, you'll be building your professional future with these characters -- and that's harder to do when they turn out to be obnoxious, or worse, incompetent.
Google, he says, was blessed with great people from the very beginning (shout-out to co-founder Sergey Brin), though recruiting top talent wasn't always easy. The company wooed Eric Schmidt for a more than a year before the seasoned exec agreed to join Google in 2001. Their patience paid off. Under Schmidt, who served as CEO for 10 years, Google grew from a fledgling startup into one of the most successful companies in the Valley.
"Having great people," he says, "is tremendously important...I can't stress that enough." So choose wisely.
Take time to really learn a subject. Do your due diligence. This could take years, Page warns, but once you know the ins-and-outs, it's easier to define the problem you want to tackle and where you can make an impact. It also becomes easier to lead a team, Page says.
The "fake it till you make it" attitude will only get you so far. At the end of the day, you're going to have to show someone---either the people you want to hire or the investors whose cash you need that you really know what's up.
This is an extension of Rule 1. Stretch your proverbial entrepreneurial muscles. A little "healthy disregard for the impossible" goes a long way, says Page.
Consumers are interested in products that make their lives easier. In the internet age, everything really does boil down to convenience, a point Twitter founder Ev Williams would restate 10 years later. Page mentions the time he told Amazon founder Jeff Bezos that his company's success hinged on solving delivery, and he turned out to be right.
"Don't be afraid of the hard problems," he says. "That's really where you get the big leverage."
Sure, you may not be able to build an empire on empty pockets, but starting a company just because there's a lot of hype isn't a good idea. That seems obvious: lemmings never win. But the startup graveyard is filled with companies that were surfed the trends. Stay focused on developing ground-breaking ideas that interest you. This is easier if you've followed rules 1-4.
And remember: "If you have a good idea," Page says, "the funding environment doesn't matter...I guarantee you'll be able to get people interested in helping you out." Word.
