The Google Story: Inside the Hottest Business, Media, ... (ISBN 0553383663)

Amazon.com Review:
Social phenomena happen, and the historians follow. So it goes with Google, the latest star shooting through the universe of trend-setting businesses. This company has even entered our popular lexicon: as many note, "Google" has moved beyond noun to verb, becoming an action which most tech-savvy citizens at the turn of the twenty-first century recognize and in fact do, on a daily basis. It's this wide societal impact that fascinated authors David Vise and Mark Malseed, who came to the book with well-established reputations in investigative reporting. Vise authored the bestselling The Bureau and the Mole, and Malseed contributed significantly to two Bob Woodward books, Bush at War and Plan of Attack. The kind of voluminous research and behind-the-scenes insight in which both writers specialize, and on which their earlier books rested, comes through in The Google Story. The strength of the book comes from its command of many small details, and its focus on the human side of the Google story, as opposed to the merely academic one. Some may prefer a dryer, more analytic approach to Google's impact on the Internet, like The Search or books that tilt more heavily towards bits and bytes on the spectrum between technology and business, like The Singularity is Near. Those wanting to understand the motivations and personal growth of founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin and CEO Eric Schmidt, however, will enjoy this book. Vise and Malseed interviewed over 150 people, including numerous Google employees, Wall Street analysts, Stanford professors, venture capitalists, even Larry Page's Cub Scout leader, and their comprehensiveness shows. As the narrative unfolds, readers learn how Google grew out of the intellectually fertile and not particularly directed friendship between Page and Brin; how the founders attempted to peddle early versions of their search technology to different Silicon Valley firms for $1 million; how Larry and Sergey celebrated their first investor's check with breakfast at Burger King; how the pair initially housed their company in a Palo Alto office, then eventually moved to a futuristic campus dubbed the "Googleplex"; how the company found its financial footing through keyword-targeted Web ads; how various products like Google News, Froogle, and others were cooked up by an inventive staff; how Brin and Page proved their mettle as tough businessmen through negotiations with AOL Europe and their controversial IPO process, among other instances; and how the company's vision for itself continues to grow, such as geographic expansion to China and cooperation with Craig Venter on the Human Genome Project. Like the company it profiles, The Google Story is a bit of a wild ride, and fun, too. Its first appendix lists 23 "tips" which readers can use to get more utility out of Google. The second contains the intelligence test which Google Research offers to prospective job applicants, and shows the sometimes zany methods of this most unusual business. Through it all, Vise and Malseed synthesize a variety of fascinating anecdotes and speculation about Google, and readers seeking a first draft of the history of the company will enjoy an easy read. --Peter Han

Skip the book, just use Google:
The Google Story is not written well at all. It is a poorly written ad for Google, Standford, and a couple other people. All you get from the book is that you should do your doctoral studies at Stanford since they are all about capital gain there, and are willing to pay for your patents. The Google guys were not normal in the slightest. They raised $900,000 from family and friends in a matter of months. Normal people couldn't get money like that in a lifetime. Persuading the venture capitalists to let them maintain power is rather interesting though. I will give them an credit for that. The book just has a bunch of random, vague events that anyone could find on Google is they searched. Wikipedia probably has a better description of Google than David Vise. Don't waste your time with this book. Get online and read about Google if you want to learn more about them.

This book should never have been printed:
There is absolutely no substance, organization, or just plain good writing in this book. I was forced to read it for a book club and it is honestly the worst book I have ever read. I'm certain the editor didn't even open the book, betting that anything with Google on it would sell. And they were right. If you are looking for information on Google, look somewhere else.

The history of the most popular search engine:
How did two Stanford Ph.D. students create one of the world's most recognizable brands in just a few short years? This book profiles both the company and its founders, and provides insights into a company that has consistantly defied conventional wisdom on its way to unprecedented success. Beginning with a vision of a search engine that would provide users free, fast, and reliable access to all the information on the internet, Larry Page and Sergey Brin have build a loyal following of users. This book is filled with inside glimpses into the history of Google and the challenges is faced on its way to success, as well as its unique cooporate atmosphere and vision. A great book for anyone who wants to understand just how this unconventional company has become so successful in such a short time.

Interesting sections overshadowed by repetition and fluff:
As other reviews have mentioned, this book is full of repetitions that make it difficult to read at times. When the authors focus on specific events it gets interesting, but they then literally beat a dead horse by throwing in quotes that are basically saying the same thing over and over. The last chapter in genes and DNA was actually painful to read. The first two pages of the chapter were interesting, but the remainder of the chapter was like reading the same sentence over and over again. In addition, the founders of the company are made to look like angels and this fluff detracts from the books and makes it seem like a PR guide. Still, there were interesting parts, but there should have been at least 100 pages cut out.

A company that provides a "Perk" for a good reason!:
David Vise captures the true concepts and ideas of Larry Page and Sergey Brin. The reader can not lose their focus with the research, knowledge of the founders purpose within each paragraph or for that matter each chapter. I highly recommended this book to anyone who has the curiosity for business. The mixture of knowlegde the author describes on how each and every employee is cared for creates a vision that the founders wanted from the beginning. The chapter that described the Chef that made "Buttermilk Fried Chicken for Elvis" was very interesting. The book is a must reader for anyone...