The Confessions of Google Employee Number 59 is a more personal and intimate account of what happened as Google ascended to the top of the Search business. The book, entitled I’m Feeling Lucky by Douglas Edwards is entertaining, insightful and educational in ways I didn’t expect.
There are a lot of books out now about Google that are a bit more analytical in nature and though there are bits of analysis discussions here and there throughout this book the author’s voice and tale is more about his own experiences, feelings, etc. I was a little worried it would be geared toward techie-types and though I’m sure those people are geting out of it something different than I am as a lay-person the book entertained me thoughtout and I felt I learned a lot of little tips and tricks myself.
I personally met Doug Edwards and he came across as very down-to-earth and passionate about the things that are important to him. I love that he paints and has an artistic side. He is working on a political site that is vastly interesting to me – http://maplight.org/ . He came across as a man who knew when, where and how to take chances and I guess that’s the real allure to the book for me. It isn’t just what happened to make Google so successful, but more importantly, what was the insight to knowing Google was going to be successful that Mr. Edwards quit a well paying job to join a bunch of twenty-somethings in a venture no one thought would come to much at the time?
