4. The Startup CorporationThe New Kid on the Block

GOOGLE WAS FOUNDED on the benefits of a better search engine algorithm, and its search engine is still its largest business. But Google hasn’t just sat back on its haunches, content to be a leader in search. On the contrary, the company has added numerous new businesses, most of them derived from the ingenuity of its people. (Of course, the company has also leveraged ideas from the outside with acquisitions such as Double Click, AdMob, Keyhole—the initial insight into Google Earth—Grand Central, and Motorola.) Gmail, Google News, Google Maps, Google Docs, Google Car, Google Glass, Android, and Chrome are some of the well-known innovations to come out of Google.

How does Google foster an environment ...

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