I Joined Google At 19. Here's What I Learned | Fast Company | business innovation

I Joined Google At 19. Here's What I Learned | Fast Company | business innovation

I JOINED GOOGLE AT 19. HERE'S WHAT I LEARNED

I GOT THROWN IN AT THE DEEP END FROM MY FIRST DAY AT GOOGLE, AND IT'S MADE ME A BETTER ENTREPRENEUR.

BY FALON FATEMI

As an eager, fresh-faced 19-year-old, I turned up at Google—at the time, a 3,000-person tech company—ready to dive headfirst into anything. Over the next six years, I discovered that the Google lifestyle meant more than just an on-site laundry service and free gourmet meals. I was one of the youngest employees on staff, but nobody held my hand. Within weeks, deadlines, duties, and complex projects began to pile up. I hadn't even taken a finance class, yet I had two weeks to put together a strategy for entering Africa and Eastern Europe. I had to be resourceful.

As a tech entrepreneur today, that sink-or-swim experience influences nearly every move I make. Here are five of my top takeaways from my time at Google early in my career.

1. IF YOU DON’T LOOK AFTER YOURSELF, NO ONE ELSE WILL.

Soon after joining Google, I learned it was up to me to steer my own ship. At first, I was naive. I assumed the promotion process would be a natural one—with the best talent gradually rising to the top. But I failed to consider the politics involved. Google may have been a fraction of its size today, but it was no six-person startup. If I wanted to get ahead, I had to stand out within the structure of the organization, and I had to figure out how to do that on my own.

From then on, I grabbed the Google bull by the horns. I capitalized on internal resources and worked to understand different facets of the company, from the treasury department to the philanthropy team. By carving out a few hours here and there to meet with people on interesting teams, I plotted my trajectory and wasted no time going after it.

2. YOUR COMFORT ZONE BREEDS COMPLACENCY.

Google has become successful because it operates at a velocity few other companies can. Employees there think quickly and execute even faster—always looking two moves ahead.

Being a young gun at Google taught me never to be complacent. Right from the hiring process, Google pushes its employees out of their comfort zones. If I wanted to be successful, I had to keep growing and evolving and think like an entrepreneur.

Uber has adopted a similar mentality. When you walk into the Uber headquarters, it’s obvious that team Uber is at war—the company has a literal war room. This fighting spirit only works because it's embodied at every level of the company. When Uber faces major challenges—be it competition from Lyft or resistance from local governments—the team doubles down, invests aggressively, and fights harder.

3. FREEDOM TO INVENT BREEDS GREAT IDEAS.

It goes without saying that tech leaders need to create an environment that lets innovation flourish. Google takes a calculated approach to innovation at nearly every point. It even designed its break rooms, cafés, and common areas to promote serendipitous run-ins and conversations, letting people who might not work together interact and spark each other's thinking.

Google’s TGIF meetings are another prime example of that ethos, which I’ve tried to apply to my own company. Each week, the team comes together to have a wide-ranging conversation about the company, almost like a creative launch. There’s total transparency and trust to bounce ideas around.

Google also introduced its "20% project" to promote invention, in which all employees could "spend 20% of their time working on what they think will most benefit Google."

Unfortunately, as a company grows, it becomes more difficult to keep this kind of culture going. Google has scaled back the 20% project in practice, but the idea lives on and still defines Google’s approach as an open-minded, ideas-based business.

4. DATA IS A COMPANY’S LIFEBLOOD.

Google has never been short on data. But the way it uses that data to guide its strategy truly sets Google apart. The company knows the best ideas are developed in tandem with user trends and behaviors. That’s why it tests and validates every assumption, pilots new features, and adapts its processes based on real-time information on users.

Even while your customer base is exploding, you can’t overlook the details. Google’s data method works because the company closely monitors data trends with an eye on what's next—in other words, in order to anticipate future needs, not just to understand what's happening right now. The question then becomes: What can we do now to head them off beforehand?

5. GREAT LEADERS INVEST IN EXCELLENCE, THEY DON'T JUST EXPECT IT.

Google has built such a strong and united team because it hires for excellence and connects its employees with great mentoring opportunities. I won’t hire anybody who doesn’t demonstrate excellence, but I also don’t downplay my end of the bargain. I make sure to pair employees with mentors who can show them the ropes and challenge them to push boundaries. Most important of all, I tie a clear purpose to every task and job description so employees know exactly how their contributions fuel growth for the company. I try to make sure everything is transparently purposeful.

I’ve even adopted some of Google’s role definitions to help accomplish this. For example, Google describes a product manager as someone with a computer science degree who acts as "mini CEO" over a product. The idea is to give more trust and responsibility to project managers. If you give your team members the space to lead, and they’ll rise to the challenge.

More than anything else though, working at Google gave me a set of values that have grounded my work ever since. What's so remarkable about the company—and what I've tried to replicate ever since—is that team members at every tier have the power to affect company-wide change. That’s a benchmark every leader should strive for.

Falon Fatemi is founder and CEO of Node, a stealth startup of ex-Googlers. She has spent the past five years as a business development executive doing strategy consulting for startups and VCs and advising a variety of companies on everything from infrastructure to drones.

The sharing economy could end capitalism – but that's not all

The sharing economy could end capitalism – but that's not all



How the sharing economy could develop





The sharing economy could bring about the end of capitalism: that’s the provocative claim made by economic journalist Paul Mason, among others. But my ongoing research indicates that there are many possible futures for the sharing economy: it could transform the world of work as we know it – or it could gradually fade from the public eye.



The exact nature and impacts of the sharing economy are still disputed. The organisers of social movements, entrepreneurs, established businesses and politicians all have very different ideas of what the sharing economy is, and what it should become. For example, Share the World’s Resource (a not-for-profit civil organisation) talks about building a sharing economy based on “shared” public services, which are funded by taxation.



Meanwhile, the UK government speaks of building a sharing economy based on online peer-to-peer platforms, which enable citizens to become micro-entrepreneurs by renting out assets such as homes, driveways and pets. So it seems that a diverse range of actors can see their own hopes, fears and values reflected in the sharing economy. But one thing is for sure: online platforms such as Airbnb and Uber have grown from Silicon Valley startups to global corporations, and this trend will probably continue.



Research on the economic, environmental and social impacts of these enterprises is scarce. As a result, there is very little evidence to help us understand how the sharing economy will develop. So I analysed approximately 250 sharing-economy-related articles and reports, which contained contrasting views from advocates and critics. Based on this evidence, I mapped out four possible paths for the sharing economy: and only one of them predicts that the sharing economy will bring capitalism to its knees, as Mason holds.



Consumption 2.0



Some have argued that online sharing platforms can enable a new form of collaborative consumption, where citizen access rather than own products. For example, peer-to-peer car sharing platforms, such as Easycar Club, enable individuals to rent out their car to others when they are not using it.



The idea is that these new forms of consumption have major environmental benefits. As these practices reduce consumer demand for products, this in turn reduces the number of products manufactured and ultimately decreases carbon emissions. If this form of innovation grows significantly, the sharing economy may enable a new form of consumption.



But this path seems unlikely to be transformative: simply using products more efficiently will not, on its own, lead to a sustainable economy. By engaging in more efficient forms of consumption within the sharing economy, people save money, which they then spend on other carbon intensive other products and services. For example, someone using a car sharing platform could spend the money they save on holiday flights, thereby increasing their overall carbon emissions.



New ways of working



Much of the interest in the sharing economy – particularly in the United States – focuses on online platforms which enable citizens to engage in new forms of work. For example, Uber enables car-owners with “spare” time to work as taxi-drivers. Airbnb enables property owners with “spare” space to work as hoteliers or landlords. Taskrabbit enables anyone with “spare” time to perform tasks including cleaning, shopping and other domestic errands. These platforms enable consumers (for instance, a tourist) and service providers (an Airbnb host) to form short-term relationships.



But sharing economy workers do not automatically have access to the rights and benefits of contracted employees, such as sick pay and annual leave. And as the recent swathe of cases brought against Uber and its contemporaries has shown, there is strong opposition to these conditions on behalf of the workers themselves, and those they compete with.



If this form of innovation grows significantly, the sharing economy may come to transform the world of work. But whether you view this a path to creating new opportunities for entrepreneurship, or promoting the exploitation of low-skilled or low-income workers, rather depends on your political beliefs and values.



A fair and sustainable future



Paul Mason is not alone in predicting that the sharing economy will bring an end to capitalism. Radical grassroots actors such as Ouishare and Shareable, who are critical of the capitalist economic system, are creating a sharing economy built upon the principles of collaboration, sustainability and equality.



They talk about a sharing economy of grassroots activities, ranging from cooperatives, to open source software and hardware, to crowdfunding, to the maker movement – a social movement which enables individuals to create products, challenging the dominant systems of large-scale industrial manufacturing.



This vision includes grassroots innovations as diverse as bread co-ops, open-source communities developing tools for reducing energy demand, Kickstarter and Fab Labs, which provide people with access to the tools needed to manufacture products.



These activities share a focus on empowering communities and creating a decentralised, sustainable economic system. If these diverse forms of innovation grow significantly then the sharing economy may, indeed, bring about the end of capitalism.



Fading away



Given the diverse visions of the sharing economy, it’s questionable whether the idea will stand the test of time. It’s possible that the sharing economy will lose meaning as a concept and gradually disappear from public, media and policy discussions.



Perhaps it will be replaced by concepts such as the gig economy – referring to platforms enabling new forms of work – or the collaborative economy – referring to grassroots action to create a more sustainable economy.



It’s hard to tell which path we’re currently on. I for one hope Mason is right, and that the sharing economy will bring an end to an unsustainable system. But I fear that it’s more likely to transform the world of work in a negative way, reducing quality of life for many within society. The people championing this path are those with great power within the capitalist economy.



Meanwhile, those advocating for a path towards a more equal economy – such as grassroots organisations – are currently marginalised and disempowered. It’s clear who the odds will favour.

This article is published in collaboration with The Conversation. Publication does not imply endorsement of views by the World Economic Forum.



To keep up with the Agenda subscribe to our weekly newsletter.



Author: Chris Martin is a Research Fellow at The Open University.



https://theconversation.com/the-sharing-economy-could-end-capitalism-but-thats-not-all-45203

Top 5 Books to Prep for Leadership in 2020 | Inc.com

Top 5 Books to Prep for Leadership in 2020 | Inc.com







Top 5 Books to Prep for Leadership in 2020



These reads have an eye on the future of business and leadership



BY AARON SKONNARD

CEO, Pluralsight@skonnard





Forward-thinking leaders will be the catalysts for bringing about a future in whichworkplace culture drives innovation and productivity. But becoming that kind of leader doesn't happen overnight--it takes a deeper understanding, which comes fromlearning on your own time. How can you make the most of your limited hours to prepare to lead five years from now? Commit to reading books that will effectively equip you for leadership in the 2020 business environment. If Mark Zuckerberg can dedicate a year to this worthy pursuit, so can you.





At Pluralsight, our leadership team jointly studies cutting edge business books that in many cases help shape the direction of the company and our culture. This practice has since led to team book clubs and even the development of a company-wide book club, whereby all employees are invited to reap the benefits of group learning while improving their value to the organization. Based on our findings, here are my recommendations for the top five books that will help shape today's leaders into tomorrow's visionaries:



• Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us. Daniel Pink's bestseller offers a mind-blowing look at motivation, helping leaders gain a clear sense of what works and what doesn't when it comes to creating a workplace environment where people want to be. Conventional wisdom suggests that the carrot-and-stick approach to motivation--based on external rewards like commission andrecognition--should be effective. But Pink's four decades of research into human motivation prove otherwise. The business environment of the future will increasingly demand cultures that facilitate opportunities for employees to achieve autonomy, mastery, and purpose--the three elements of true motivation.



• Creativity Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration. Ed Catmull, co-founder of Pixar Animation Studios, has written one of the most important books of the century about how to build a creative culture that will endure. Catmull is the genius behind Pixar's world-famous "Braintrust" sessions, in which a closely collaborating working group puts their heads together to share candid feedback, direction, and strategy insights that have led to the creation of some of the most successful movies in history. In Creativity Inc., Catmull shares a wide range of other secrets behind the unique environment that is considered an essential ingredient in Pixar's meteoric rise to the top of the animation world.



• Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap...and Others Don't. In this #1 bestseller, Jim Collins presents research findings that reveal how companies with so-so results can make the leap to become one of the elite. Collins and his research team identified companies that not only made the leap from good to great, but sustained their winning results for at least 15 years, comparing them with companies that stalled out at the "good" stage. The book unveils key determinants behind why some companies become great and others stay mediocre. Among these findings: when you combine an entrepreneurial ethic within a cultivated culture of discipline, stellar results follow.



• The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business.Patrick Lencioni has served as something of a guru for the Pluralsight leadership team, helping us navigate everything from determining our core valuesto improving engagement in meetings and understanding healthy conflict. In The Advantage, Lencioni posits a four-part model for organizational health that helps leaders achieve sustainable success by building a cohesive leadership team, creating clarity, overcommunicating clarity, and reinforcing clarity. The book reveals that leaders who aren't afraid to confront the dysfunction in their organization can largely eliminate politics and confusion from their environment and help the business reach its full potential.



• Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action. Simon Sinek's unconventional perspective sheds light on why some leaders and companies are more innovative and profitable than others, and why they're able to continuously repeat their success when others can't. Hint: they start by asking why the business exists. While this may seem obvious, Sinek's research found that most companies approach marketing by first explaining what the company does, and then move on to sharing how they do it. Most don't think to mention why they're doing it, and a surprising number don't even know why! You can't build an exceptional culture without knowing the reason behind what you do.





Needless to say, there are many other great books that didn't make our Top 5 but are still worth checking out to build a better culture for 2020 and beyond. A few of these include Sinek's Leaders Eat Last, which speaks to the importance of trust and the "circle of safety" within teams, and Tony Hsieh's Delivering Happiness, which reveals that by concentrating on the happiness of others, you actually increase your own. Other winning picks include Carol S. Dweck's Mindset, which explains how we can learn to fulfill our potential with an open mind focused on continual improvement, and Liz Wiseman's Rookie Smarts, which shares how to tap into a beginner's hunger for learning. If you want to prepare to meet the leadership challenges yet to come by creating a culture that will stand the test of time, you can't do any better than absorbing the important insights from these visionary thought leaders.

Don't Ask These 5 Questions in Interviews - US News

Don't Ask These 5 Questions in Interviews - US News



Don't Ask These 5 Questions in Interviews



Yes, you should ask questions – just not these ones.







By Vicki Salemi March







This sounds like an oxymoron, right? After all, you should ask questions during the interview – they’re a must. If you don’t, a hiring manager may consider it game over before it began.



Here’s the kicker though: Not all questions are created equal. Use them wisely, and you can gain tremendous insight into the organization and gauge if you can see yourself working there and ultimately thriving. The other scenario is asking weak questions only to get weak answers. It’s kind of like the lifeline situation on “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” Leverage that lifeline when the going gets tough, rather than in the earlier, easier rounds.



With that in mind, don’t squander your questions. It’s not about quality, not quantity. Consider the questions you ask to be equally as important as your answers to the interviewers' questions.



Take time to plan your questions thoughtfully and methodically before the interview. As specific questions arise during the interview itself, ask them, but please avoid the ones below. The following questions won’t provide you with an inside view on the organization and probably won’t give you substantial answers.



1. “When are you looking to fill this position?” Yes, it may be tempting to ask this, but here’s the thing: Recruiters hear this question on a daily basis, and you may end up getting a snarky response – and rightly so. They’re not looking to fill the position six months from now – not even three months from now. They’re looking to fill it right this very minute and, in most cases, yesterday.



Although recruiters want to hire quickly, you need to factor in at least two to four weeks for the chain of command approvals and background check. And that's assuming the interview process is towards the tail end.



It’s in the hiring manager’s best interest to move things along swiftly, too. If not, his or her boss can say, "Hey, this position has been open for three months and is still vacant. You’re clearly getting by without this additional team member, so you technically no longer need it." And just like that, the job opening disappears. So, yes, everyone is on the same team here: Hire, and hire fast.



2. “Why are you hiring?” These specific words are key, and the simple answer is, “because we have a need.” Even though we know what you’re getting at here, you may end up getting a succinct, non-descriptive response that beckons a follow-up question anyway.



The better, more insightful question to ask is, “Why is this position open?” Is it because the group is expanding? If so, that’s a great opportunity to ask a follow-up question about how many people are expected to be hired within the next two years. Is the position open because the person who previously held the position got promoted? That's another great sign the organization espouses career growth and promotions. Or is the position open because an employee left? In that case, you have to wonder what the turnover is really like.



3. “What is your policy on drug and alcohol use?” Seriously, please don’t be that guy or gal. Next question …



4. “What are the hours?” This sounds like a Catch-22, given that you need to know the hours to show up on time. However, asking about the hours shows you’re going to be watching the clock. And yes, we should all watch the clock for work-life balance, but this question won’t necessarily look good for your work ethic or make a positive first impression.



Your future boss is evaluating everything you say and wants to know you’ll do whatever it takes to get the job done. Plus, answers to this question won’t give you insight into the job, company or its culture.



You can, however, learn from observing. If your interview starts at 4 p.m. and ends at 6:30 p.m. as the staff circulates menus to have dinner delivered, that’s a sure sign you’ll be working well into the evening.



5. “Why do you like working here?” This isn’t necessarily a bad go-to question to ask the interviewer about him or herself, but it often leads to a major dead end. Here’s why: The most common answer is typically “the people.” And even if it’s not the people, they’ll still tell you it’s the people.



Instead, you can ask, “What’s one of the main reasons you like working here aside from the people?” or “What do you like most about this corporate culture aside from its people?” This will give you further insight. Is it due to training opportunities and the ability to grow? Maybe this person has an amazing mentor who has guided him or her? Maybe the benefits are stellar?



This is a good line of questioning to ask toward the end of the interview, when things feel less formal and you’ve established a rapport.

8 signs your job interview went well - Agenda - The World Economic Forum

8 signs your job interview went well - Agenda - The World Economic Forum

8 signs your job interview went well

By Hope Rest

Most people walk out of a job interview feeling one of two ways: like they definitely nailed it, or like they completely bombed.

They spend the next few hours (or days, or weeks) over-thinking every response they have and ever gesture they made — wondering how hiring manager felt about them.

But things don’t have to be a complete mystery in the time between when you walk out of the interview and when hear whether or not you got the job.

According to career experts, there are some telltale signs to look for in the interview and in the days following that can help you figure out whether a job offer is coming your way.

Here are eight signs to look out for that don’t necessarily guarantee a job offer is in the cards, but are pretty promising:

1. Your interviewer appears to be enjoying the conversation.

When the interviewer is listening to you intently — and seems genuinely interested in what you have to say — that’s a good indication you’re on the right track.

To figure out whether they’re enjoying the conversation, pay careful attention to the interviewer’s body language.

“Actions speak louder than words,” says Debra DelBelso, director of the Career Center at Siena College. It’s always a good sign when the interviewer smiles, maintains eye contact, and leans in toward you while you speak, she explains.

Matthew Randall, executive director of the Center for Professional Excellence at York College of Pennsylvania, says one good way to decide if the interviewer is being genuine or just polite is to pay close attention to their grin.

“Any professional will likely conduct him or herself with good decorum regardless of what they think of you,” he says. “To try to determine if the smile is authentic, ‘Duchenne’ smiles include the narrowing or partial closure of the eyes and accentuated crows feet around the eyes.”

2. Your interviewer shows you around the office before you leave.

If the hiring manager takes the extra time to give you a tour of the office or introduces you to employees before you head out, that could mean they’re thinking about offering you the role.

“Most interviewers will give you an idea of what the schedule will look like ahead of time,” says Amber Cloke, assistant director of the Career Center at Mansfield University. “If, at the end of the interview, the employer unexpectedly offers to introduce you to the rest of the team, it could bode well for you.”

3. The interview runs over the designated time.

If the interview runs over the scheduled time slot, the employer clearly wants to continue getting to know you a little better, Cloke says. “You’ve likely already passed the initial criteria they were seeking, and the fact that they continue investing more time and energy toward you can be promising.”

4. The interviewer tries to sell you on the company.

As the candidate, it’s expected that you will spend a lot of the interview talking about yourself and your expertise, in an attempt to persuade to the interviewer that you’re the right fit for the position. But if the interviewer makes a conscious effort to talk up the company, that’s a great sign they’re impressed with you and trying to sway you towards the position.

“You may be able to tell that your interview has gone well by how much the recruiter ‘sells’ the role and/or the organization,” says Dale Austin, director of the Career Development Center at Hope College. “If the recruiter spends a lot of time doing the talking, that may be one indicator that the organization is very interested in your candidacy.”

5. The interviewer talks a lot about perks, benefits, policies, and pay.

This may be part of their “sales tactic.” If and when an interviewer starts discussing company policies and benefits — and even gets into a serious discussion about pay — there’s a good chance they’re planning to make an offer. They most likely wouldn’t waste their time voluntarily sharing all this information if they weren’t interested in you.

6. The follow-up process is pointedly discussed.

At the close of the interview, if the recruiter or hiring manager enthusiastically brings up the next step in the hiring process without you even asking, then it’s a clear indicator you’re still in the running for the open role. (Unless, of course, it’s just a generic: “We’ll be in touch soon.”)

“If an interviewer is interested in a candidate, they may even ask when you’d like to or need to have their decision by,” said Kevin Hewerdine, director of Career Services and Employer Relations at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. “They won’t let you leave without knowing what your timeline looks like.”

7. The interviewer asks if you could send them a list of references.

If, on your way out, they say something along the lines of, “We’d like you to email us a list of three professional references with their contact information as soon as possible,” you should feel pretty excited. Most hiring managers don’t ask for references until they plan on contacting them…which they usually only do if they’re seriously considering a candidate.

8. There’s a lingering goodbye.

Okay, maybe the hiring manager is just super talkative — but if they continue asking questions or selling you on the company as you’re saying your goodbyes, you probably made a great impression.

“If the interviewer seems to ‘linger’ as they walk with you toward the main lobby or escort you out the door, see if they attempt to chat a bit more to keep the conversation going,” Randall says. “Typically, interviewers unconsciously do this because they feel comfortable with you being a strong candidate and know that, since this relationship may continue in the future, they want to spend a few more moments to strengthen their professional rapport.”

Where Americans spent money saved on cheap gas - Business Insider

Where Americans spent money saved on cheap gas - Business Insider



Back in November, economists excitedly predicted that lower oil prices would be great news for consumers.






They suggested that Americans would save about $42 per month if gas prices remained low throughout the year, which would then translate into more discretionary spending.


But somewhat surprisingly, for the most part, Americans have opted to save that extra money, rather than to spend it.


Still, Americans did spent some of their newfound riches.
According to analysts at Bank of America, those savings went toward
eating out at "quick service" restaurants like McDonald's and Wendy's
and "fast casual" restaurants like Chipotle and Panera Bread.


"Based on the aggregated BAC card data, spending at fast casual and
quick service dining establishments are growing at a strong 10.8% and
6.2% yoy, respectively," Bank of America Merrill Lynch's US Economist Michelle Meyer wrote in a note to clients.
"Sales growth accelerated substantially during 2014, particularly in
the second half, but has more recently slowed back towards trends that
are more in-line with prior years."


"In our view, the sudden strength in restaurants towards the end of last year may have reflected the support to purchasing power from the drop in gasoline prices," Meyer added.


In other words, American's have turned some of their gas savings into burrito bowls at Chipotle.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/where-americans-spent-money-saved-on-cheap-gas-2015-8#ixzz3iuwkOPRX

20150810 Form 8-K

20150810 Form 8-K

Alphabet Merger

http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1288776/000128877615000039/a20150810form8-k.htm

8-K 1 a20150810form8-k.htm FORM 8-K

UNITED
STATES

SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington,
D.C. 20549 

___________________________________________________

FORM
8-K

_______________________________________________________________

CURRENT
REPORT

Pursuant
to Section 13 or 15(d) of

The
Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date
of Report (Date of earliest event reported)

August 10,
2015

______________________________________________________________

GOOGLE
INC.

(Exact
name of registrant as specified in its charter) 

_______________________________________________________________

Delaware	001-36380	77-0493581
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)	(Commission File Number)	(IRS Employer Identification No.)

1600
Amphitheatre Parkway

Mountain
View, CA 94043

(Address
of principal executive offices, including zip code)

(650)
253-0000

(Registrant’s
telephone number, including area code)

Not
Applicable

(Former
name or former address, if changed since last report) 

______________________________________________________________

Check
the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously
satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following
provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

¨	Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
¨	Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
¨	Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
¨	Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

---

Item 5.02.	Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangement of Certain Officers.

The
disclosure in paragraphs 2, 3 and 8 of Item 8.01 is incorporated into this Item
5.02 by reference.

---

Item
7.01.    Regulation FD Disclosure.

Google
issued a blog post in connection with the discussion under Item 8.01 below, the
full text of which is furnished as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form
8-K and is incorporated under this Item 7.01 by reference.   

The
information in this Item 7.01 and Item 9.01(d) is being furnished and shall not
be deemed to be “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), or otherwise subject to the
liabilities of that section, nor shall such exhibits be deemed incorporated by
reference in any filing made by Google under the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended, or the Exchange Act, except as expressly set forth by specific
reference in such a filing.

---

Item
8.01.    Other Events.

Operating
Structure

On
August 10, 2015, Google Inc. (“Google”) announced plans to create a new
public holding company, Alphabet Inc. (“Alphabet”), and a new operating
structure to increase management scale and focus on its consolidated
businesses.  Under the new operating structure, its main Google business
will include search, ads, maps, apps, YouTube and Android and the related
technical infrastructure (the “Google business”).  Businesses such
as Calico, Nest, and Fiber, as well as its investing arms, such as Google
Ventures and Google Capital, and incubator projects, such as Google X, will be
managed separately from the Google business.

In
connection with the new operating structure and upon completion of the Alphabet
Merger (as defined below), Larry Page will become the Chief Executive Officer
(CEO) of Alphabet, Sergey Brin will become the President of Alphabet, Eric E.
Schmidt will become the Executive Chairman of Alphabet, Ruth Porat will become
the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Alphabet and David
C. Drummond will become the Senior Vice President, Corporate Development, Chief
Legal Officer and Secretary of Alphabet.  Larry, Sergey, Eric and David
will transition to these roles from their respective roles at Google, whereas
Ruth will also retain her role as the CFO of Google.  

Concurrently
upon completion of the Alphabet Merger, Sundar Pichai, age 43, will become the
new CEO of Google Inc. Sundar is currently the Senior Vice President of
Products at Google and oversees product management, engineering, and research
efforts for Google’s products and platforms. Since joining Google in 2004,
Sundar has led a number of key consumer products which are now used by hundreds
of millions of people and, prior to his current role, served as Google’s SVP of
Android, Chrome and Apps.  Sundar received a B.Tech. (Hons.) from the
Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, a M.S. from Stanford University, and
an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.  

Holding
Company Reorganization

Later
this year, Google intends to implement a holding company reorganization (the “Alphabet
Merger”), which will result in Alphabet owning all of the capital stock of
Google.  Alphabet will initially be a direct, wholly owned subsidiary of
Google. Pursuant to the Alphabet Merger, a newly formed entity (“Merger Sub”),
a direct, wholly owned subsidiary of Alphabet and an indirect, wholly owned
subsidiary of Google, will merge with and into Google, with Google surviving as
a direct, wholly owned subsidiary of Alphabet.  Each share of each class
of Google stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Alphabet Merger
will automatically convert into an equivalent corresponding share of Alphabet
stock, having the same designations, rights, powers and preferences and the
qualifications, limitations and restrictions as the corresponding share of
Google stock being converted. Accordingly, upon consummation of the Alphabet
Merger, Google’s current stockholders will become stockholders of Alphabet.
 The stockholders of Google will not recognize gain or loss for U.S.
federal income tax purposes upon the conversion of their shares in the Alphabet
Merger.

The
Alphabet Merger will be conducted pursuant to Section 251(g) of the General
Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, which provides for the formation of a
holding company without a vote of the stockholders of the constituent
corporations.  Effective upon the consummation of the Alphabet Merger,
Alphabet will adopt an amended and restated certificate of incorporation and
amended and restated bylaws that are identical to those of Google immediately
prior to the consummation of the Alphabet Merger, except for the change of the
name of the corporation as permitted by Section 251(g).  Furthermore, the
conversion will occur automatically without an exchange of stock certificates.
 Stock certificates previously representing shares of a class of Google
stock will represent the same number of shares of the corresponding class of
Alphabet stock after the Alphabet Merger. Following the consummation of the
Alphabet Merger, shares of Class C Capital Stock and Class A Common Stock will
continue to trade on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “GOOG”
and “GOOGL” respectively.  With respect to Alphabet stock, Larry, Sergey,
Eric and their respective specified affiliated entities, as well as Alphabet,
will be bound, without any modification, by the same restrictions, undertakings
and obligations that are imposed under the Transfer Restriction Agreements,
related Joinders and other documentation entered into in connection with the
prior settlement of the litigation relating to Class C Capital Stock.
  

Upon
consummation of the Alphabet Merger, the directors of Alphabet will be the same
individuals who are the directors of Google immediately prior to the Alphabet
Merger.  

Financial
Reporting

The
new legal and operating structure will be introduced in phases over the coming
months and when finalized, Google anticipates that it will result in two
reportable segments for financial reporting purposes, with the Google business

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presented
separately from other Alphabet businesses taken as a whole.  Accordingly,
Alphabet will report its results under this new structure commencing with its
Q4 earnings release and its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ending
December 31, 2015.

Other
Changes

Concurrently
upon completion of the Alphabet Merger, Omid Kordestani will transition from
his role as Google’s Chief Business Officer to become an Advisor to Alphabet
and Google.

Safe
Harbor Statement

This
Current Report on Form 8-K contains forward-looking statements regarding the
proposed Alphabet Merger, related board and management composition, and
financial reporting on a segmented basis.  These forward-looking
statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual
results to differ materially from those indicated in such forward-looking
statements, including but not limited to the ability of the entities to
consummate the Alphabet Merger and to change its anticipated reportable
segments. Other risks and uncertainties that can affect actual results are
included under the captions “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and
Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in our Annual Report
on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014 and our most recent Quarterly
Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2015 and in other filings we
make with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which are on file with the
SEC and are available on our investor relations website at investor.google.com
and on the SEC website at www.sec.gov. All information provided in this Current
Report on Form 8-K is as of August 10, 2015, and we undertake no duty to update
this information unless required by law.

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Item 9.01.    Financial
Statements and Exhibits.

Exhibit No.	Description
99.1	Google Blog Post

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SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934, as amended, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on
its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

		GOOGLE INC.
Date: August 10, 2015		/s/ KENT WALKER
		Kent Walker Senior Vice President and General Counsel