It's a Google World

I just finished watching a TV special (WTTR) on Google that I highly recommend; "The World According to Google". Having read multiple articles about how Google is the best employer on the market, how their culture allows for more of a college campus culture than corporate and how Google employees are the best taken care of in the world, it is easy to want to work there. Google becomes the Holy Grail for programmers, engineers and computer scientists. For marketers ... frankly ... not so much. Let's get real, it's not a marketing or sales organization. It's an algorithm company mostly consisting of Stanford, Yale and MIT grads. A friend of mine that works there recently told me; "Google is all about the education". After talking to a recruiter there (not for work mind you, merely at a networking event) their reputation as being education snobs is true. Not saying that if you have a community college degree you are ruled out, but an Ivy League stamp seems to be the preferred choice (and why not, they can get them!). As a candidate you are put through rigorous interviews, scrutiny and multiple panels where your every educational step, accomplishment and personal achievement or community involvement is examined. It can be mind bending and probably very intimidating. I will say, however, that some of the nicest and most professional folks I know in the corporate world work at Google. They are clearly doing something right when choosing their teams.

Back to the point of big brothering, which is what the documentary was all about; the fear of Google taking over our lives and what the big brother factor is all about. Having read about this issue in several newspapers I hadn't paid too much attention. Watching the documentary caused me some concern suddenly. I blog on a Google owned blog machine. I own and use a Gmail account. I search on Google nearly exclusively. I use Google Maps. I practically live on Google platforms (online). Google stores ALL my personal data performed on these engines for an unlimited amount of time. Yikes. Then there are these sites ... clearly being VERY anti-Google and frankly, really freak me out.

That said, there is something to be said for the Google culture. The Google folks I know and have heard or read about are fanatic about their brand. The typical culture of yes present in most of Corporate America does not exist at Google but something else does ... something I cannot put my finger on tangibly but that is so evident in every interaction I have with them both as a consumer and as a business contact; a culture of transparent ambition. The people, the engines and the culture is ambitious. I only hope it's not too ambitious ... if you know what I mean.

Are you worried about Google and if yes/no, why?