Google Speaks: Secrets of the World's Greatest Billionaire Entrepreneurs, Sergey Brin and Larry Page

Introduction

At the tenth birthday of Google Inc., founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin stood on the grounds of Vandenberg Air Force Base in central California. They watched in wonder as a state-of-the-art Delta 2 rocket blasted into the atmosphere, carrying a GeoEye-1 satellite into orbit. The satellite, adorned with the Google logo, would send back razor-sharp photos to be used in the company's popular mapping service.^[] What a glorious way to celebrate the first decade of a company that itself took off like a rocket from its very beginning.

Chris Winfield, who heads the search-engine ad firm 10e20, noted that in a very short time, Google has become a rage, the equivalent of the Beatles during the 1960s. "It's pretty amazing, it's almost like they are in control of the world."^[]

The story of the search-engine company Google and its two young founders is loaded with superlatives, secrets, and surprises. One thing is certain: The Google guys, Larry and Sergey, both now 36, have become the undisputed "lords of all information."^[]

In 2006, Time magazine called Google the "smartest company of the year" and one of the century's most game-changing enterprises. Google was crowned the world's largest search engine and one of the best-known global brands. Praise like that could well go to a company leader's head.

The Google founders have been described in many ways, including the Thomas Edisons of the Internet. Brin and Page are the twin Princes of High Technology who pulled the proverbial ...