If you are interested in the concept of search, then this is a very interesting book. It goes through the history of online search and in particular Google, and argues why search is so an important element in the online world.

Great book for those willing to understand the evolution of search engine. Well written, however, outdated for today's world. Worth reading anyway.

I enjoyed the book as it described the core of what I believe most businesses and everyday users of the internet miss. The internet is all about the search.

I wasn't so interested in the histories of Google, but rather the mechanics and principles of the book.

Read it a while ago & forgot to review - Good Silicon Valley startup history - shows how a good idea isn't enough to make a good company, and yet sticking to your good idea can help you eventually figure out how to make a good company.

Explanations of how search works, how it has evolved, and how it has changed how we interact with information.

It's in depth on a particular topic, so can be dry if you're not into it.

I read this book a few years ago and decided to re-read it to see if its insight into the veritable cultural force still holds its relevance. Though it is already dated by today’s standards (the book’s most recent publication was five years ago), it is still a very interesting read.

John Battelle is a definite Google fanboy, taking only slightly critical angles when necessary, and giving the internet supergiant heaps of kudos where deserved. The book deals with Google’s history only briefly (for a full biography of the company, read David Vise’s The Google Story), focusing more on the history of search both in terms of technological advances and cultural impact. The book does delve heavily into the company’s business practices, namely the rollercoaster IPO and the company’s general tendency to spurn the “typical” practices of a large company.

But the most interesting parts of this book lie in themes that touch upon Google’s now-famous motto: Don’t be evil. Given its all-knowing zeitgeist character, Google has an undeniable authority over the world’s information, and therefore an almost mandatory social responsibility. Their colossal network of indexed sites also allows them to “possess” a lot of information that otherwise is not theirs to own, which hasn’t thrilled copyright lawyers. Battelle outlines many other such controversial examples that are worth learning.

I’d have given the book more stars had it focused just a little more on the biographical aspect of the company, and less on the dry business practices. That, and it does feel a bit dated (the last few paragraphs try and guess what Google’s strategy towards YouTube will be, and acquisition isn’t mentioned). Aside from that, it’s a fun, informative read.

This book is two things – first, it is a detailed and interesting look at how searching online has changed over the last ten years, and how the refinement of the process has made the internet the usable tool it is today. It’s a pretty basic idea, really, if you can’t find shit, the internet is basically useless.

Secondly, the book is a look at what makes Google* so special. If Batelle is to believed what makes Google different is a, a belief in the ability of science fixing any problem and b, a healthy culture of renewal and change that comes out of the conflicts and developments that happen when you have a no fucking around business plan coupled with a supposed mission to “not be evil” while being willing to be pragmatic (ie making a deals with China). I guess its an interesting book if you’re in internet companies, but I cannot for the life of me remember why I thought I had to read this.

Considering my day-to-day work involves tweaking and optimizing websites for search, as well as dealing with content strategy for the web, "The Search" is a must-read for me. I'm also a follower of John Battelle's blog.

Probably would not have finished this book except that I was stuck in an airport for a long time and only had this book to read. While a lot of it was very interesting, the writing style made it quite boring. I hope to find other books that are more enjoyable to read about a company I find quite fascinating.

A cool look at the evolution of the internet through search engines - not just Google, but also the earlier-generation Webcrawler, Excite, AltaVista, etc - and the respective business models behind them. Much of the book details how Google went from 2 employees to thousands, from private to public, and managed unprecedented amount of growth, though the chapter I found most interesting was "Search, Privacy, Government, Evil". Even though it was written in 2005, the issues presented - Google's engagement with Chinese censorship, our own government's PATRIOT Act, consumers' changing comfort level with the linking of search/email history to targeted advertisements* - are still quite relevant today.

* Remember when Gmail advertisements began to be organized based on the content of your stored emails, or when Facebook started running advertisements based on profile-specific demographics? Doesn't it seem somewhat quant to think of the number of people who were creeped out by those practices, whereas today they're just generally accepted?

had to read it for summer reading. bored af.

Good book, but if want to get the best insider/investigative look at this cutting edge; ever evolving company, you will need to upgrade your Google books as often as you upgrade your computer. If you know nothing about Google other than, "it's that internet search thingy" this might be a good book for you as it supplies a concise narrative history of the company's origins, founding members, its initial successes and failures. However, the story ends sometime between 2003-2006 which basically makes it the silicon valley version of stone tablets. If your looking for a really good book about Google, I'd recommend, "How Google Works" by Eric Schmidt (Google's Executive Chairman and former CEO). It's a true insider look at how Google became the juggernaut it is today by completely changing corporate culture, the web, and the world. It is obviously a, "Pro Google Book", but it seems honest enough considering the epilogue is a story about some top secret project they are working on that they can't tell you about. If you want book about how Google is going to evolve into AI and destroy the world, or how Google is spying on your porn collection for the NSA, Iran, and Donald Trump, their are plenty of those books out there as well, just Google, "Google".

Google OpenAI and the Red Sea

Published in 2005, John Battelle chronicles the rise of Google among a sea of competitors in a year when Google was worth around $23 billion in market capitalization. Now, with a value exceeding $1.6 trillion and a workforce of over 100,000, the influence of Google on modern society is undeniable.

The narrative of Google is surprisingly relevant considering its age. Google was able to beat out what was then a red-sea of competitors by combining a reticence to monetize (many competitors were monetizing via a portal/banner ad strategy), an emphasis on maximizing user value through a clean UI, better search results, and a willingness to accept false positives when it came to prioritizing users over businesses. The pot of gold at the end of this path was bigger than almost anybody realized, and many of John Battelle’s ‘what-if’ scenarios are now functioning companies like Vivino and applications of Google Maps.

Nearly 20 years later and through the intervening waves of web 2.0 and web 3.0, Google’s strategy provides the blueprint for how to differentiate itself from competitors like OpenAI. The priority should be on delivering value to the userbase over monetization. This time, the value is delivered via a chat interface instead of a search box, posing an even greater challenge to monetization. Obsess over speed and quality (intelligence) of results. Ensure alignment with the userbase by taking time on safety considerations before releasing models, and use venture-capital as a means to continue pursuing the pot of gold at the end of a path paved by tens of billions of eyes.

84th book of 2023