> Sergey [Brin] nodded his agreement, then asked about my six months in Siberia, casually switching to Russian to see how much I had picked up. Finally, he leaned forward and fired his best shot, what he came to call "the hard question". "I'm going to give you five minutes," he announced. "When I come back, I want you to explain to me something complicated that I don't already know. He then rolled out of the room toward the snack area.
I looked at Cindy. "He's curious about everything," she said. "You can talk about a hobby, something technical, whatever you want. Just make sure that it's something you understand very well"...
I went to the whiteboard and furiously drew circles and squares and unleashed arrows like Legolas. I was nervous, but not very. Sergey bounced on a ball and asked questions that required me to make things up on the spot...
Later I found out that Sergey did this with everyone he interviewed. An hour wasted with an unqualified candidate wasn't a total loss if he gained insight into something new.
From "I'm Feeling Lucky: The Confessions of Google Employee Number 59" by Douglas Edwards, page 11
I looked at Cindy. "He's curious about everything," she said. "You can talk about a hobby, something technical, whatever you want. Just make sure that it's something you understand very well"...
I went to the whiteboard and furiously drew circles and squares and unleashed arrows like Legolas. I was nervous, but not very. Sergey bounced on a ball and asked questions that required me to make things up on the spot...
Later I found out that Sergey did this with everyone he interviewed. An hour wasted with an unqualified candidate wasn't a total loss if he gained insight into something new.
From "I'm Feeling Lucky: The Confessions of Google Employee Number 59" by Douglas Edwards, page 11