CHAPTER 12Paul BuchheitCreator, Gmail

image

Paul Buchheit was Google's 23rd employee. He was the creator and lead developer of Gmail, Google's web-based email system, which anticipated most aspects of what is now called Web 2.0. As part of his work on Gmail, Buchheit developed the first prototype of AdSense, Google's program for running ads on other websites. He also suggested the company's now-famous motto, "Don't be evil," at a 2000 meeting on company values.

Although not a founder, Buchheit probably contributed more to Google than many founders do their startups. Gmail was in effect a startup within Google—a dramatically novel project on the margins ...

Get Founders at Work: Stories of Startups' Early Days now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.