Don Dodge on The Next Big Thing

Googlish Google's secret code language - wdyt?

Googlish is the language used to communicate via Instant Messaging. Any high school kid understands it instantly. It is not unique to Google, or any company. Mark Zuckerberg at Facebook has been studying it too. The way we communicate in this Twitter / SMS world, and the tools we use to do it, is rapidly changing. A Googler sent this message recently. I will add translation.

Googlish. (n). A recently discovered language spoken 1,000,000 solar years ago by a civilization on the former planet Earth. Evidence indicates it was a gutural and unpronounceable language, a conclusion drawn from the one surviving fragment:

- yt? vc?                       [You there? Video conference?]
- on 3G, sry, no vc.   [I'm on 3G network, sorry, no video conference possible]
- ooo?                          [Are you Out Of Office?]
- wfh                            [Yes, I am Working From Home]
- k, sync by im?         [OK, can we sync by Instant Message?]
- np.                             [Sure, no problem]
- qq wrt new okr.      [Quick question. With regard to the new OKR (Objectives, Key Results)]
- imho ok by q4/11.  [In my humble opinion, it is OK by the 4th quarter of 2011]
- wdyt q2/11?             [What do you think? Maybe by 2nd quarter of 2011?] 
- w/ hc, np              [With some headcount, sure no problem]
- afaik hc tbd. if no hc, q3/11 ok?  [As far as I know, headcount is TBD. If no headcount is Q3 OK?]
- ..sry, gtg (mtg).       [Sorry.. I have got to go to a meeting]
- k, lmk asap. i'm ooo til eod but pls ping.  [OK, let me know as soon as possible. I am out of office until the end of the day, but please ping me when you can]
- sgtm. ty.                  [Sounds good to me. Thank you.]
- yw, ttyl                     [You are welcome. I will talk to you later]

[Archeological encyclopedia, 1,002,010 A.D.]

This is the way people communicate via IM, text message, and even email. Our communication tools need to adapt. Our search technology must be able to search across all our communication modes to find and link all relevant conversations.

Mark Zuckerberg is right. Email will not be killed by a better email system. The market will move to a very different, real time, communication mode that works across all our devices; laptops, cell phones, ipads, etc. It will stay in sync so that a message read on your phone shows as read on your laptop too.

Personally, I like the old English and the elegance of a well constructed line of thinking. Twitter and SMS are great for quick bursts, but totally inadequate for deeper thought. The trick is how to embrace both modes at the right times.

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Google is hiring 2,000 people - How to get a job at Google

Google has over 2,000 job openings now. You can find a complete list of the jobs here. Google currently employs about 23,000 people worldwide. The openings are in nearly all job categories and in many locations around the world. Developer relations, the group I work in, has many job openings too.

You might want to read, "How to get a job at Google, hiring process and interview questions. Also read "How Google sets goals and measures success". I recently completed "My first year at Google" and wrote about my experiences. These posts should give you a good feel for what it is like to interview, how you will be measured, and what life is like at Google.

In some ways the Google hiring process is pretty standard, it is the decision process that is different. This video explains the steps and what to expect. All open jobs are listed on Google.com.  Browse for a job that fits you and submit your resume online. Every resume submitted online gets reviewed.

Even with 2,000 job openings there are still many more qualified candidates than there are openings. It is very competitive. So, how do they decide who to accept or hire? Assume that most applicants have great grades, impressive work experience, and great references.

How can you stand out? Do something special. Be a significant contributor to an open source project. Write a blog or be a thought leader on a specific topic. Create a mashup or hack or something cool and useful that uses current technologies. Be a leader, create something, convert your passion into something tangible. Technical people could build something. Designers could mock up something. Business people could start a group, or a small business. Creative people could write something, create a video, or show their passion in some way.

The selection process isn't a perfect science. Stanford andHarvard accept between 7% and 9% of all applicants, and readily admit there are many more qualified candidates. Google and Facebook hire a significantly smaller percentage. Google receives more than one million resumes every year.

Go for it! Google wants fearless people who will battle against the odds. We want people who will shoot for the stars. One of the first things I learned at Google is "achieving 60% of the impossible is better than 100% of the ordinary".

Send me an email if you need help with the process. If I know you and something about your work I will submit your resume for you. Google pays a referral bonus to employees for successful hires. So, I am more than happy to help :-)

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My first year at Google

One year ago today I joined Google. It has been an amazing experience. Here are some of the things I learned. 

Being Googley - The culture at Google is an interesting mix of modesty and supreme confidence. There is sense that anything is possible, and that we should try new approaches that have never been done before. The expectations are very high and the energy levels are intense.  Yet, the leaders are very modest and self effacing. There is confidence, but no arrogance. Google measures it self against its own goals, not any competitors.

Google is paradoxically very open internally, and very private externally. There are TGIF company meetings every Friday where Larry, Sergey, Eric, and many other senior execs share what is going on. The level of openness and trust is truly amazing. Yet, with the press and investors, Google is very quiet and reserved. Google lets results speak for themselves, and doesn't speak about new things until they are done.

Marketing is not a strong point for Google. Products succeed or fail based on user adoption. There is very little marketing or promotion around any product once it has launched. This is in sharp contrast to the intense marketing and huge promotion budgets at Microsoft. Google has been very successful with this approach...and so has Microsoft. Maybe there is some middle ground that makes sense for less obvious products, or products that are so far ahead of the curve that they need some time and explanation.

Google moves at light speed - My third day on the job I was asked to speak at a Cloud Computing Conference in New York City. The product managers and PR people spent a day bringing me up to speed on Google's product offerings, vision for the future, and what we could and couldn't say in public. The conference session went very well and generated a lot of good press for Google. This is just one example of "hitting the ground running" that is quite common with new hires at Google.

Developer Relations - I work in the Google Developer Relations group headed by Michael Winton. It is an amazing group of people from around the world. Most are former software engineers, eight of them have authored books, three of them have software patents to their name, and most of them have made significant contributions to Open Source projects. You can meet many members of the DevRel team on this site. I am truly honored to work with these tech rock stars.

The Google Hiring Process - The Google hiring process is designed to hire the most talented, creative, and articulate people in the world who will be the best fit for Google. The Google culture is different. You notice it the moment you walk on campus. It isn’t for everyone, but it works amazingly well for Google. Hiring decisions are made by hiring committees. This means that no single hiring manager can make a potentially bad decision by themselves. This doesn't guarantee 100% success, but it does reduce bad decisions. There must be consensus that the candidate is a great hire.

How Google Sets Goals And Measures Success - Achieving 60% of the impossible is better than 100% of the ordinary. Setting impossible goals and achieving part of them sets you on a completely different trajectory than the safe route. Sometimes you can achieve the impossible in a quarter, but even when you don’t, you are on a fast track to achieving it soon. Measuring success every quarter allows for mid course corrections and setting higher goals for the next quarter.

Rewards for success - Google is very generous to employees. The expectations are very high, but the rewards for success are truly amazing. Salaries are more than competitive, and probably lead the industry. Bonuses are based on performance and are very competitive. Stock options and stock grants are a big part of the compensation package, as they are with most tech companies. Overall, I am extremely happy with my compensation at Google.

Google Developer Days - Google is all about developers. Over the past year I have presented at Google Developer Days and DevFests in Mexico, Australia, Brazil, Argentina, Germany, Russia, and the Czech Republic. There are also many Google Technical User Group (GTUG) meeting every month all over the world. 

Google Ventures - Google has its own venture capital arm called Google Ventures which can invest $100M every year in leading edge technology companies. I have the privilege of working closely with the team at Google Ventures. The partners include former entrepreneurs and VC veterans. Bill Maris, founder of Burlee, is managing partner.  Rich Miner, co-founder of Wildfire Communications, and senior exec at Android, and Joe Kraus, founder of Excite and Jotspot, are partners. Wesley Chan, one of the first employees at Google is also a partner. Meet all the GV team here.

Google's big bets for the future - I think Google is amazingly well positioned for the future. Web search is obviously a great business, but there are other great businesses emerging. Your cell phone will become your primary computer, communicator, camera, and entertainment device, all in one. Android is a major player in the mobile market.

The exciting new applications are running in the browser, with application code and data in the cloud, and the cell phone as a major platform. The browser is quickly making the Operating System irrelevant. Google has invested heavily in its own browser, Chrome. There is still a lot of innovation coming to the browser.

The Cloud is clearly the direction for server computing. Google has great cloud based applications like Gmail and Google Apps, and Google App Engine for building custom applications in the cloud.

My first year at Google has flown by. The opportunities are unlimited. Google is well positioned for growth, and has even bigger plans for the future. There will be stumbles and setbacks. That is expected when you are aiming for the impossible. I can't think of a more exciting place to be. I am already looking forward to 2011.

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Free holiday Wi-Fi on airplanes from Google

Google today announced a deal with AirTran, Delta and Virgin America to offer free Gogo Inflight Wi-Fi on every domestic flight from November 20, 2010 through January 2, 2011. Now you can browse the web, use Gmail, and all Google Apps, anytime, anywhere, even on an airplane. Thank you Google!

Personally, I spend a lot of time on airplanes. I am looking forward to the day when Wi-Fi will be available on any flight on any airline. It will make me even more productive and connected. And, I could read Techmeme and Techcrunch all day, even on the plane. I admit I am a Techmeme and Techcrunch junky. Check them out...you will get addicted.

Conversely, I hope they NEVER allow cell phone calls on airplanes. That would be a disaster for productivity and for quiet enjoyment of a flight. If you have ever sat next to an overly talkative seat mate on a cross country flight you know what I mean. Imagine everyone around you yacking on a cell phone for hours with no escape possible.

Tapping away on a keyboard doing email or browsing the web doesn't disturb most people. In fact, they might just find it entertaining.

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Steve Ballmer saved $100 million in taxes selling $2B in MSFT stock

Reuters is reporting that Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is selling 75 million shares of his Microsoft holdings netting $2 Billion. By selling the stock before the end of the year Ballmer saves $100 million in capital gains taxes. Capital gains tax rates are expected to rise to 20% next year from the current 15%.  After the sale Ballmer will still own over 350 million shares or 4.2% of Microsoft.

Steve Ballmer was quick to say "Even though this is a personal financial matter, I want to be clear about this to avoid any confusion. I am excited about our new products and the potential for our technology to change people's lives, and I remain fully committed to Microsoft and its success." 

I believe Steve Ballmer is totally committed to Microsoft and its long term success. The last time he sold stock was over seven years ago when he netted $1.6 billion. Executives of public companies have most of their net worth tied up in company stock. They are restricted from selling before and after quarterly earnings announcements, and all their sales must be publicly disclosed. Getting some of that wealth cashed out and reinvested in other areas is smart portfolio management, and good for the economy.

Ballmer Economic Stimulus Plan - He saved $100M in taxes, and has nearly $2B in new cash. That is great for the economy because he has to put it somewhere. Maybe he will invest some of it in startups. That will stimulate jobs, economic growth, and innovation. Hey Steve, give me a call. I can point you to hundreds of startups that could use a little rocket fuel.

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Should you hire a big company exec for your startup? - chess vs poker

Fast growing startups need experienced big company execs to take them to the next level, right? Wrong. Big company execs are wired differently than startup ninjas. My last post "Startups play poker, big companies play chess" explained how startups are different from big companies. This post is about how execs at startups are different from big company execs.

Big companies are complex, like chess. They have with multiple products, several strategies, competitors in different market segments, lots of employees, customers, and partners...all demanding time and attention. A big company exec has to juggle demands from all of these constituencies in addition to a mountain of email, meetings, phone calls, and travel. It is an enormous exercise in time optimization and prioritization. Everything comes to you.

Nothing comes to a startup. You have to make it happen. Go get it yourself. Startups are like playing poker. You start with nothing and try to build up your chip stash. No one is dying to talk to you. You don't have endless meetings about next years strategy, marketing budget, or headcount plans. Startups are all about raising money, hiring the team, delivering the product, and satisfying customers. Startup execs have a million things to do and they all look important. You have to choose to do the things that will kill you if they don't get done, versus optimizing strategy A versus B, C, or D. 

Startups are fun and exhilarating. Building something from nothing, solving a big problem, getting users and paying customers is awesome. But at some point your startup gets bigger, more employees, more customers, legal and financial issues, and infrastructure crap all take too much time. At this point your investors and advisors are telling you to bring in an experienced exec who has done this before. It feels like the right thing to do because you are overwhelmed, and don't like doing this stuff anyway. You want to get back to the real work of building the product. Be very careful about who you hire because they often fail.

Doing vs deciding - Big company execs have a staff, assistants and advisors. They get used to making decisions and thinking about strategy. They decide things, they don't do things. They are really good at organizational growth, goals and measurement, process improvement, communication, strategy, mission statements, etc. Barf! It makes me sick just thinking about this stuff. But, it is very important in big companies, and what those senior execs do well.

You will need some executive help at some point. So, here are some questions to ask when interviewing a big company exec.

• What past accomplishments are you most proud of?
• What did you learn from that experience?
• What roles have you done before that you don't want to do again?
• What experience from your current role will be most helpful here?
• Why do you want to work with us?
• What are the most important things to get done in your first 6 months?
• How do you think this role will be different from your current job?
• One year from now how will you measure your success?

These questions get to the heart of what they think is important, what they will do, and how they will measure success. Look for what motivates them. Find out if they will roll up their sleeves and do real work. Make sure they get your vision and are excited about the opportunity.

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Startups play poker, big companies play chess

Mike Arrington, founder of Techcrunch, wrote a great article "Are you a pirate?" which captures the essence of the startup mind set. I have been on both sides; the pirate life with 5 startups (Forte, AltaVista, Napster, Bowstreet, Groove Networks), and corporate life with two big companies (Microsoft, Google). The pirate analogy works for me. In fact, at Napster, we were actually called pirates. Literally.

Another analogy that I often use is startups play poker, big companies play chess. Entrepreneurs are "all in" every day. Jason Calacanis is an awesome entrepreneur, and I think it is not surprising that he is also a great poker player. The skills required to play both at a high level are very much the same.

Startups play poker, big companies play chess – There are huge differences between startups and big companies. Success is not easy in either case, but the approaches are radically different.

Using a game analogy, startups are more like poker players. They take big risks, they bluff, they make quick decisions, change direction constantly, and they keep their competitors off balance. In poker you never have all the information, but you must make fast decisions. You never know if what you are seeing is a real threat, a bluff, or something that will soon disappear under the stress of the game.

Poker is an aggressive game where if you play your cards right you win big, and win fast, or totally wipe out in just a few hands. However, if you lose a hand on a reasonable bet,  you can come back and double your money in the next hand. There is no time to wallow over a loss. You did your best. Move on and your luck will be better next time. Chess is a very different game. Both require incredible skill and talent. 

Big companies think long term. Like chess players, big companies think four or five moves (years) ahead. They protect their assets, play defensively, think strategically, and carefully consider the options before making a move. Big companies have a lot to lose, while small companies don’t. No offense to Steve Ballmer of Microsoft, but big companies like Microsoft don't go "all in", risk everything, and bet the company on one thing. Big companies can lose a "pawn" or even a Rook in a strategy move, but they wont risk the King.

Big companies leverage their assets (conservatively) and flex their muscles where they can. They go for incremental improvements in position. Big company CEOs, like chess players, work a long term strategy. Each short term move plays a part in a longer term strategy that is not visible to the casual observer. In fact, their strategy is often kept secret, and they take care to make sure their short term moves don’t reveal their long term plan. Strategy is a competitive advantage.

Chess is a game where all the information is on the table. There are sophisticated strategies, but all the moves are visible to all players. There is no bluffing, betting, or "all in" in chess.  In poker there is very little information. You need to read the players, look for clues, establish a persona, and outwit the other players. I'm sure you can see the similarities to the startup world.

One area where poker players and entrepreneurs are very different is the concept of "folding". Poker players will quickly fold and move on to the next hand. Entrepreneurs tend to fight to the bitter end. Here there is a very fine line between brilliant visionary and delusional dreamer. 

Fail Fast – Bill Warner, founder of Avid Technologies, Wildfire Communications, etc, said recently “Some of you guys are so smart you turn what should have been a one year failure into a five year death march.” Entrepreneurs are resourceful, smart, and have that indomitable spirit that doesn’t allow them to quit. This can be good and bad. Sometimes it is better to “fold” and move on to the next game. If you are going to fail, do it fast and move on to the next thing. More in depth thoughts here.  Being successful is always the goal, but if it is going to fail...Fail fast.

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Why leave Google to join Facebook?

People change jobs all the time, many times within the same company. I had five different jobs at one company. But, when high profile people take a job at a different company the media reads a lot more into it. The reality is that people change job assignments within companies, or take jobs at other companies, for the same reasons. Those reasons are unique to that person, and usually not a reflection on that manager or that company. To dispell a common misconception, for high profile people, it is usually NOT about the pre-IPO stock options.

Change jobs for a change - Creative people get bored...even doing things they like. After a while we all want a change, a new challenge. Sometimes you can find that new challenge within the same company. Sometimes you just want to change everything up and experience a new city, new company, new technology, new friends, or some combination of these things. 

The reasons for wanting a change are usually the same, and pretty basic. The question in the tech world is; do you create your own new challenge (startup), or do you take on a large scale challenge at a big company? Again I think the media reads too much into these decisions.

It is pretty normal to do a startup, get acquired by a big company, work there for a while, then go to a VC firm or another big company to try something else for a while, and ultimately start another company, completing the cycle. It happens all the time. It is normal and vital to our growth as an industry.

Glenn Kelman says "One in Five Facebook employees has no imagination whatsoever". What he means is, why would you leave one big company (Google) for another big company (Facebook)? Why not go to a start-up and really change things? The answer? Many people do just that. And their reasons are the same, they want a change.

Silicon Valley Circle of Life - Leaving a successful big company to build a startup is part of the normal evolution, and what makes Silicon Valley what it is. Mike Arrington calls it the Pirate Life. Danny Sullivan calls it "being California". It happens all over the tech world. Microsoft spawned hundreds of startups when employees left to build their own company. PayPal, Cisco, Oracle, Yahoo, and many other successful companies have also spawned lots of startups. Ex-Google employees, affectionately called Xooglers, have joined the parade too. All these big companies are still doing just fine after high profile people left. Still innovating, and still growing.

Talent attracts talent - Another reason many people move to Silicon Valley is because they want to work with the best and brightest in the industry. If you want to be in movies you move to Hollywood. If you want to be an investment banker you move to New York. If you want to be in the oil business you move to Texas. There are of course other centers of excellence in the world outside of the USA. These examples are just to prove a point. The best people want to work with the best in the industry.

Sometimes people will leave a successful big company because they want the opportunity to work with another high profile rock star. This is often like like cotton candy, sweet at first but it doesn't last very long. The reason is that you change jobs to get a new challenge...not to work with friends and be comfortable.

Long story short, creative people change jobs often. When they leave to join another company it isn't a signal that something is wrong with the previous company. There really isn't a lot of drama in the tech world. Sometimes the media creates drama...because they get bored too :-)

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