Google's CEO just clarified what 'Googleyness' means in 2024

• In an all-hands, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said the word 'Googleyness' had become too broad.
• Pichai clarified what the word means for the company.
• Now it's about being "Mission First" and being "Bold and Responsible."

"Googleyness" has long been a vague word for the search giant. Once used to determine if a candidate is a good fit for hiring, it has evolved in definition over the years.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai just attempted to clarify what the word means for Googlers now.

In a company all-hands meeting on Wednesday, Pichai told staff the definition of "Googleyness" had become too broad and that he felt obliged to clarify it, according to two employees who heard the remarks, who asked to remain anonymous because they're not authorized to speak to the press.

Pichai defined "Googleyness" as the following, per one of those sources:

"Mission First"

"Make Helpful Things"

"Be Bold & Responsible"

"Stay Scrappy"

"Hustle & Have Fun"

"Team Google"

A Google spokesperson declined to comment.

The term "Googleyness" has always been amorphous. In his 2015 book Work Rules, Google's former head of people operations, Laszlo Block, listed certain attributes that he considered "Googleyness," such as "intellectual humility," "enjoying fun," and "comfort with ambiguity."

The company previously changed its hiring guidelines to "avoid confusing Googleyness with culture fit," The Information reported in 2019. The change came after the company had been criticized for its lack of diversity in its workplace.

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