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In the Plex
- How Google Thinks, Works, and Shapes Our Lives
- Narrated by: L. J. Ganser
- Length: 19 hrs and 45 mins
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In the Plex
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Editor reviews
Don't be evil. That's Google's official motto. But what's really going on behind that simple little search box? Wired's Steven Levy guides us through a history of the rise of the internet, the development of complicated search algorithms, and, in many ways, a who's who of Silicon Valley — all beautifully narrated by L.J. Ganser.
What started as two geeks obsessed with improving internet search engines rapidly ballooned into a company eager to gobble up other useful startups (Keyhole Inc., YouTube, Picassa) as well as larger, more obviously valuable companies (most notably the marketing goliath, DoubleClick). Google's strategy has also been a game-changer in regards to the way we use data and cloud computing. Thanks to its highly lucrative AdWords and AdSense programs, the company exploded the way people think about the internet and the way people think about making money on the internet.
In the Plex gives listeners a real idea of what it's like to exist within the company's quirky culture. And Ganser knows when to keep it serious, but that doesn't stop him from adding just the right amount of snark to the “like” and “um”-ridden quotations from various engineer types. This edition also includes a fascinating interview between the author and early hire Marissa Mayer, the youngest woman to ever make Fortune's "50 Most Powerful Women in Business" list.
Levy dedicates a large section of the book to Google's controversial actions in China, the ultimate test of the company's “don't be evil” philosophy. Here, In the Plex takes an unexpected turn from company profile to a technology coming-of-age story for notorious “founder kids” Larry Page and Sergey Brin. How does “don't be evil” play out in a real world that is sometimes, well, evil? Results are mixed.
In addition to China, Levy touches on some of Google's failures, flubs, and flops, like the company's book scanning project and its development of Google Wave and Google Buzz. However, he seems to miss the point when he makes excuses for their inability to compete in the social space. It seems particularly obvious why a corporation completely run by data-obsessed engineers would have trouble making inroads in the world of social media, which is by nature more organic and subtle.
From the early days as a gonzo-style startup to the massive corporate giant that has quickly integrated itself into almost everything we do, this is an essential history of Google. —Gina Pensiero
Summary
Few companies in history have ever been as successful and as admired as Google, the company that has transformed the Internet and become an indispensable part of our lives. How has Google done it? Veteran technology reporter Steven Levy was granted unprecedented access to the company, and in this revelatory book he takes listeners inside Google headquarters - the Googleplex - to explain how Google works.
While they were still students at Stanford, Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin revolutionized Internet search. They followed this brilliant innovation with another, as two of Google's earliest employees found a way to do what no one else had: make billions of dollars from Internet advertising. With this cash cow (until Google's IPO, nobody other than Google management had any idea how lucrative the company's ad business was), Google was able to expand dramatically and take on other transformative projects: more efficient data centers, open-source cell phones, free Internet video (YouTube), cloud computing, digitizing books, and much more.
The key to Google's success in all these businesses, Levy reveals, is its engineering mind-set and adoption of such Internet values as speed, openness, experimentation, and risk taking. After it's unapologetically elitist approach to hiring, Google pampers its engineers with free food and dry cleaning, on-site doctors and masseuses, and gives them all the resources they need to succeed. Even today, with a workforce of more than 23,000, Larry Page signs off on every hire.
But has Google lost its innovative edge? It stumbled badly in China. And now, with its newest initiative, social networking, Google is chasing a successful competitor for the first time. Some employees are leaving the company for smaller, nimbler start-ups. Can the company that famously decided not to be "evil" still compete?
No other book has turned Google inside out as Levy does with In the Plex.
Critic reviews
What listeners say about In the Plex
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Robb
- 06-06-18
Very interesting
Really enjoyed this insight into the giant that is Google may have to look at amazon and apple books now.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- gordon
- 22-08-11
good, if long
this book went on and on and on, but it was fascinating in parts and really informative. i certainly learned a lot about google and the culture within. given i use google every single day, it was interesting to see how it developed and the trials and tribulations along the way.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
- David
- 04-05-12
A vision
As a software engineer I've used Google since it raced past AltaVista et.al. This book provides a interesting
It covers history, founders, obstacles, technical achievements - but also philosophy and ideology.
The best parts are the anecdotes sprinkled through the book.
Of course it is a bit biased. Focus are on the successful stories. Start and end are almost recruitment advertising...
I also find a bit to long. As a developer I would love to have more technical details/anecdotes. I had expected more regarding Android - and less regarding self steering cars.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Olly Buxton
- 16-01-20
detailed hagiography marred by annoying narrator
it's an interesting story, though more of a hagiography than a balanced account, and further marred by tremendously irritating narration from LJ Ganser, who conveys a sense of oleaginous smugness which may well not be there in the abstract (but probably is, in fairness: any writer who uses "peripatetic" and "Brobdingnagian" at all, let alone on the same page, is asking for a bunch of fives). The Germans have a word for this: backpfeifengesicht. is you can bear the tone, there is plenty of interesting material here.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Rafal
- 02-07-20
Great for techies
Being a software engineer myself I found this book very interesting and actually quite motivating. I'm going to listen to other books by S. Levy. My only concern about In the Plex was the lack of artificial intelligence related chapters. Perhaps Google was secretive about it, but considering that the founders thought about it already 20 years ago, I would assume that all their initiatives were actually driving the company towards developing a human level AI, with all their products up until now serving as vehicles to get there... Apart from that it was a great listen, thank you!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 19-10-16
Learnt alot about this great company
Loved it
Learnt how to run a great company
Its was written 2011 and things haved moved on
but it is such a treat
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- P
- 02-08-13
A little boring
The first half of the book is interesting and kept me interested but the sections on china, google books were just lenghtly and boring with too much pointless detail.
It does a good job on explaining how google was developped and how is essentially works. I would recommend this book to someone who really loves google products or wants to create a IT start-up.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 16-09-17
OK Google
Remarkable story. Now I always say yes to Google experiments and suggestions. Okay, almost always.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Joe
- 07-04-13
Fascinating, super read.
The last time I read a Steven Levy book was back 2001, the fascinating 'Insanely Great: The Life and Times of Macintosh, the Computer that Changed Everything'. Levy takes on a similar subject here, examining the birth and development of Google. I have to say, I thought this was an excellent read, with a thorough and comprehensive story and a clear theme as Levy focuses on the culture which the founders instilled into their organisation. The chapters on the early days were fascinating, and insights into Google's technology eye-opening, and the book left me with a whole new perspective on Google. If you enjoy technology books you'll love this!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- B
- 25-07-15
Interesting and enjoyable
What did you like most about In the Plex?
A great insight into the origin and growth of Google - one of the most important companies in the world, and one that a plurality of people on the planet interact with on an almost daily basis.
What was one of the most memorable moments of In the Plex?
The early years are interesting, but as the company grows, and the range of areas into which it expands grows, the insight into the underlying artificial intelligence behind everything from translation to recognition is fascinating.... the tone changes from one of Google as a company to one of Google as an entity.
What about L. J. Ganser’s performance did you like?
Great, just like all of his other readings - one of the best narrators on Audible.
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