What is “Googleyness”?

“Googleyness” is a term representing a series of desirable characteristics used by the search engine giant to determine whether a candidate would be a good fit for being hired.

However, it has been a vague word for a long time, with its definition having evolved over the years.

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Sundar Pichai’s definition of “Googleyness”

Pichai’s definition of “Googleyness” can be summarised in the following points, as per the report.

• “Mission First”
• “Make Helpful Things”
• “Be Bold & Responsible”
• “Stay Scrappy”
• “Hustle & Have Fun”
• “Team Google”

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This comes after Pichai told Google employees in a company meeting last Wednesday that the definition of “Googleyness” had become too broad and that he felt obliged to clarify it.

The term dates back to a 2015 book by Laszlo Bock, Google’s head of people operations at the time, who listed the attributes he considered Googleyness, such as “intellectual humility,” “enjoying fun,” and “comfort with ambiguity,” according to the report.

However, the company had later changed its hiring guidelines in order to “avoid confusing Googleyness with culture fit,” according to a report by The Information in 2019.

This was because the company came under criticism for the apparent lack of diversity in its workplace.