Part I — The story
The story
Larry Page, with Sergey Brin, co-founded Google and served as its driving product and engineering force, co-inventing the PageRank algorithm that made search dramatically better. But Page's distinctive contribution to how companies think is his insistence on 'moonshots' — pursuing ideas ten times better, not ten percent better, and tackling problems so large that most companies wouldn't attempt them. He pushed Google into self-driving cars, life sciences, and other audacious bets.
Page championed what he called a 'toothbrush test' for acquisitions — does it get used daily and improve lives? — and restructured Google into Alphabet in 2015 to let its ambitious long-term bets operate as separate companies. His philosophy that incremental improvement is a trap, and that the biggest opportunities lie in thinking an order of magnitude bigger, has shaped a generation of technologists. He is a study in audacious ambition and the discipline of thinking 10x.
Part II — The playbook
The playbook
Think 10x, not 10%
Page pushed for ideas an order of magnitude better, not incremental gains.
Pursue moonshots
He funded audacious bets — self-driving cars, life sciences — most firms wouldn't attempt.
Structure for long-term bets
Alphabet let ambitious projects operate as separate companies.
In their words
Always deliver more than expected.
If you're changing the world, you're working on important things.
It's often easier to make progress on mega-ambitious goals than small ones.
What to read next
- In the Plex — Steven Levy
Why this matters
The thinking behind these decisions connects to models you can study directly:
Frequently asked questions
What is Larry Page's '10x' philosophy?
That companies should pursue ideas ten times better, not ten percent better — because incremental improvement is a trap and the biggest opportunities require thinking an order of magnitude bigger.
Why did Page create Alphabet?
To restructure Google in 2015 so its audacious long-term 'moonshot' bets — self-driving cars, life sciences and more — could operate as separate companies rather than be constrained by the core business.