Googled, By Ken Auletta
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The view from the Google campus at Mountain View changes all the time. Co-founder Larry Page now takes the reins as CEO from Eric Schmidt, who guided student wizards Page and Sergey Brin along the way towards a monster corporation.
Given this ongoing revolution, Ken Auletta fashions as near a definitive history as possible of the first dozen years of the search tool-turned-global data behemoth. (It might have been BackRub – or Whatbox.)
Though Google's don't-be-evil ethos has taken knocks from censorship to book digitisation, he shows how swiftly it re-boots. Yet it remains an overgrown adolescent in thrall to "the power and precariousness of a culture shaped by... founders". Auletta will have updating tasks for some time to come.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments