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Vint Cerf on what makes Google a success

Here is a brief quote from an interview with Vint Cerf who is Google’s Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist and who is often called the father of the internet. I wonder what libaries could learn from this bit of insight? Siva Vaidhyanathan was asking the questions on August 13 2008.

S.V.. What aspects of Google have made it such a success?

V.C. Well, we have hired some awfully smart people. And most of them have the benefit of being young. So they don’t know “you can’t do that.” So they just do it.

Plus, the company gives its employees the time to explore new ideas – 20 percent of their time.

The management structure is very flat. And the company has very particular hiring practices and standards. We hire people who are both smart and responsible. They all have a “how can I help” attitude. So you can learn something from almost anyone in the company. You will notice an almost collegial atmosphere here.

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