While there have been plenty of writers who claim to give you the “inside scoop” on what’s going on at Google, one of the more experienced reporters on the topic is Steven Levy. Levy has written technology news stories for over two decades, with one of his more famous pieces – the Seven Commandments of the Personal Computer Revolution – coming out in 1984. Now Levy’s bringing his knowledge, experience, and reporting prowess to bear on Google with his recently released book, In the Plex.
Several major hot-button topics are being covered in the book, including:
- The relationship of the founders (Larry Page and Sergey Brin) with Apple’s Steve Jobs, and the growing tension between the companies and individuals.
- The apparent contradictions between the search engine’s stance (on, for example, open source) and its actions and lobbyist issues.
- The company’s hiring process.
- Google as an employer (with, now, over 24,000 employees).
- Major decisions in management, both recently and over the course of Google’s history.
- Google’s stance on China.
- The company’s two heaping scoops of legal battles.
- And much more.
Thus far the reception for the book has been very positive. Kirkus Reviews stated that the book was a “dense, driven examination of the pioneering search engine. … Outstanding reportage delivered in the upbeat, informative fashion for which Levy is well known.” However, as a hot-off-the-presses item only a few major reviews have been published. Users interested in checking out user reviews, or purchasing their own copy of the book, can order In the Plex on Amazon today.
[via the Inquirer and StevenLevy.net]
