Ben Silberman (Pinterest) - Learning from Google

TL;DR

Working at Google was exciting, with a focus on big thinking and idealism, particularly in the ads group.

Transcript

welcome to the startup grind well what what did you learn from Google what what um what about that mentality and and that culture um kind of helped you get to that next Point yeah so Google was awesome I mean I felt so lucky uh to work there I was in Oso which is basically customer support and sales um and for me it was it was just super exciting I... Read More

Key Insights

• 🤔 Google fosters a culture of big thinking and ambitious ideas, encouraging employees to think beyond the ordinary.
• 🥶 The company's idealistic vision for the internet emphasizes free information and global impact.
• 🫠 Working on small contributions to larger products at Google's ads group can be both challenging and exciting.

Questions & Answers

Q: What stood out to the speaker about working at Google?

The speaker was impressed by Google's big thinking approach, breaking down challenges logically, and the company's strong idealistic vision for the internet, emphasizing the importance of free information and global impact.

Q: What types of products did the speaker work on at Google?

While at Google, the speaker worked on various aspects of display advertising products, focusing on pricing models, user-friendly interfaces for ad purchases, and contributing to the company's overall revenue generation.

Q: How did the speaker feel about the opportunity to work at Google despite feeling unqualified?

The speaker felt incredibly fortunate to have been given the opportunity to work at Google, acknowledging their lack of qualifications compared to their colleagues but appreciating the chance to contribute to the company's success.

Q: How did Google's culture and mentality influence the speaker's work?

Google's culture of big thinking, logical problem-solving, and idealism influenced the speaker's approach to work, inspiring them to think beyond the norm and make small contributions to larger products.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Working at Google was an amazing experience, feeling lucky to be part of a company that thought big and had a philosophical approach.

• Google's focus on ambitious ideas and breaking down challenges stood out, with a strong idealistic vision for the internet.

• In the ads group, the work involved small contributions to larger products, like pricing models and making ad interfaces user-friendly.