Image for The First 10 Non-Founder Google Employees: Where Are They Now?
Once upon a time, Google was just a scrappy startup in a garage, led by Larry Page and Sergey Brin. Alongside the founders, there were a few brave souls who took a gamble on a search engine that would revolutionize the world. These first 10 non-founder hires helped build Google from the ground up, crafting its first lines of code, signing its earliest deals, and growing its initial teams.
Many of these early Googlers walked away with millions, but what did they do next? Here’s a glimpse into the lives of Google’s first 10 employees after their time at the tech giant.
These folks gambled their careers on Larry & Sergei’s search engine startup. They wrote Google’s first lines of code. Sold its first ads. Grew its first teams.
They started in a garage and walked away with millions.Where are Google’s first 10 non-founding hires now?
The Code Whisperer
Craig Silverstein was Google’s first official hire after the founders. He played a crucial role in writing some of the earliest code for Google’s search engine.
After Google: Craig left Google after 14 years to join Khan Academy as the Dean of Infrastructure. Not just a tech wizard, Craig and his wife Mary also committed to philanthropy, signing the Giving Pledge in 2014, and promising to donate most of their wealth to charity.
Fun Fact: He was the one who initially turned down Google’s first acquisition offer from Yahoo!
The People Magnet
As Google’s first HR executive, Heather hired the first 200 employees, laying the foundation for Google’s legendary company culture. Fun fact: she’s also the voice behind Google’s original voicemail greeting.
After Google: Heather went to grad school for painting and became an angel investor, primarily backing women-led companies. Today, she’s running a real estate development firm.
Fun Fact: She helped Google scale from a garage startup to a company with thousands of employees.
The Sabbatical-Turned-Triathlete
Ray Sidney took a sabbatical from Google in 2003, but after the company went public, he decided to retire. Rather than fading into the tech background, Ray became a triathlete, earned his pilot’s license, and ventured into eco-friendly housing development through his company Big George Ventures.
Current Role: He’s the Co-Owner of The Residences at The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain, a sustainable housing project in Arizona.
Fun Fact: Ray turned down offers to stay at Google but found his passion in sustainable real estate.
Spiderman of the Web
Nicknamed “Spiderman”, Harry Cheung worked on Google’s spiders—programs that crawl the web to index it for search. After his time at Google, he transitioned into the world of angel investing.
Current Role: Harry co-founded Roostify, a home lending platform that was acquired by CoreLogic in 2022.
Fun Fact: Harry was responsible for helping Google’s search engine scale, making it faster and more comprehensive in its early days.
The Man Behind the Motto
Amit Patel helped create Google’s famous slogan, “Don’t Be Evil,” alongside Paul Buchheit (Gmail’s creator). Although not much is known about his life post-Google, his influence on shaping Google’s culture is undeniable.
After Google: Amit keeps a low public profile, with no known social media presence.
Fun Fact: Amit was instrumental in setting the tone for Google’s early ethical standards.
Google’s Infrastructure Genius
Urs Hölzle joined Google to become the company’s first search mechanic, helping to optimize and scale the infrastructure that powered Google’s search engine.
Current Role: Urs still works at Google! He was the SVP of Technical Infrastructure until 2023, now transitioning to a Google Fellow, focusing on cloud and infrastructure.
Fun Fact: Urs once gave up his beloved ponytail at a Google event to raise money for charity.
The AI Visionary
Georges joined Google as a software engineer but quickly moved up to become a Product Management Director. He played a significant role in Google’s early product strategy and innovations.
Current Role: Today, Georges is the co-founder of hslabs, an open-source AI research lab. He’s also an active angel investor in the AI/ML space.
Fun Fact: Georges was responsible for overseeing Google’s early products, laying the groundwork for Google’s dominance in multiple tech verticals.
The Visionary Behind YouTube
Salar Kamangar joined Google early on and was responsible for the development of AdWords, Google’s primary revenue engine. He was also one of the first to push for the acquisition of YouTube.
After Google: Salar was YouTube’s CEO from 2010-2014, before transitioning to an advisory role. He’s still with Google/YouTube today, offering his expertise.
Fun Fact: Salar’s push for YouTube’s acquisition has been one of Google’s most successful strategic decisions to date.
The Deal Maker
Omid Kordestani was the driving force behind Google’s business operations, helping the company grow from zero to $20 billion in revenue. He later returned as Google’s Chief Business Officer in 2014.
Current Role: Omid is now a Chairman and Board Member at Pearson and Klarna. He also briefly served as the Executive Chairman of Twitter.
Fun Fact: Omid was once Google’s top sales executive, helping to bring in its earliest major ad deals.
Steve Schimmel was part of Google’s founding business team. After Google, he took a temporary retirement, during which he became an angel investor.
Current Role: Steve is currently working on a stealth mode project, and while little is known, he continues to invest in startups like HireAthena and Crowdrise.
Fun Fact: Steve played a crucial role in scaling Google’s early business operations, setting the stage for its massive growth.
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