Category Archives: Google

Fantastic end to a fantastic Strategy course

Posted by on February 11, 2012 No comments

One of my favourite courses at ISB has been a term 7 course called “Economics of Strategy”. When folks told me that an MBA can broaden your thinking and make you look at the same things in a very different way, I didn’t quite understand what that meant until I took this course.

The course took a very unique view on economic models and drew counter intuitive connections between economic models and business strategy as they play out in the real world. Heck, we even debated the role of game theory in promotion settings, especially in service intensive professions like Consulting, Investment Banking, and Law. We dealt with myriad industries such as aviation, breakfast cereals, microprocessors, human resources, and so on.

To top it all, we had our final exam for the course today and it was a well spent 2 hours. Not to risk giving out too much information on the final exam and getting into trouble with the school authorities, I can tell you that the exam dealt with how economic models are applied to the Web 2.0 industry, with a “very popular” website going up against a promising upstart from a search giant. Writing this exam made me think of this industry in ways I have never thought of before.

An MBA can do wonders to you if you get into it with the right attitude. I have found that taking diverse courses far away from my field of expertise or my liking has actually helped tremendously in widening my horizons. I have deliberately taken up *high risk* courses which promised to stretch my thinking and help me get the most out of this degree.

Disappointingly disconnected blog post from Google

Posted by on November 16, 2011 No comments

Came across this blog post from Google yesterday about letting users like you and me opt out of having our wireless access points tracked by appending a “_nomap” strong at the end of our wireless SSID network.

I have to say, this is quite ridiculous. How can a layman be expected to take an action which is not at all intuitive, technically speaking. Many folks have never changed their wireless SSID manually; they just stuck with the default that comes with the router on first installation. On the face of it the procedure looks simple, but I can imagine someone trying it out, getting frustrated with the technical process and abandoning it half-way through.

This proposal wreaks of non user friendliness and I wish someone at Google notices and corrects course quickly before this becomes another debate on how “Google is not connected to the human pulse” vs. “Apple is all about user friendliness”.

 

 

I loved working at Google, and here’s why

Posted by on November 15, 2011 No comments

Most people associate Google with images like this one here. Cool, colorful, hippety-bop. It is indeed all of this and more.

Google has built a great work environment in all its offices around the world. While all of this is good, the real story lies in the type of people surrounding you at Google. Its a fresh, young (in their thinking), productive, and radical thinking group of people that is not afraid to challenge the status quo. The typical Googler feels there is nothing that cannot be achieved with smart application of engineering, process, and risk-taking. Googlers are a proud bunch, proud to be associated with a company that gives a $hit.

I worked with some of the brightest minds in the world, a rich experience it was, to the core. Every small team inside the company feels like a startup, the energy is electrifying and mood is optimistic about what the future might bring. I only wish the company culture withstands the test of time and the company remains as young and agile as it was during my time at the Googleplex.

 

Been a while…

Posted by on June 3, 2010 No comments

Since I last wrote something here. The last 6 months have gone by really quick.

My transition to Sales inside Google (almost a year into it) has been a fun experience, lots to learn, lots of customers, conferences. Its a dynamic group of people that I work with so every day brings new challenges and learning opportunities. I love it here.

Gurome, the GMAT Prep and MBA Admissions Consulting company, has seen tons of ups and downs. What a ride it has been in the last 6 months. There are some very positive trends which we are pursuing, will provide more data on this as we go through with some exciting new initiatives.

Made a quick trip to India, mostly a family time visit. Mumbai is an amazing city, so much energy and life, totally love it.

I took the GMAT, did decently well. Came within 20 points of my target score, but I will settle with the score I got and give it a shot for 2011 admissions.

A lot more has happened, will write it out as I think of it.

……Until then

Notes from Google Mela today

Posted by on August 13, 2009 Comments Off

Attended the first ever Google Mela today. An international culture fest with food, music, art, and performances from various countries around the world, this event reminded me of Georgia Tech days where such events were often held. Loved the bhangra performance the most, there is something about the high-energy bhangra music that makes it such an attraction. The highlight of the event for me was the camel they brought in. I don’t even remember the last time I saw a camel, must be 15 years ago probably. Here is a pic I took with my iPhone. It came out pretty well, maybe due to the good light in the area.

Camel at Google

Camel at Google

Also saw this mini Thumbs-up bottle that I carried out with me :)

Thumbs Up

Thumbs Up