Some of the world’s most influential business big shots are flying into Dubai this week, ready to give away the secrets of their success during the annual Leaders in Dubai Business Forum. Becky Lucas grilled Nikesh Arora, President of Google’s Europe, Middle East and Africa Operations, to find out more about his managerial magic and the complexities of internet censorship.
Do you know what comes up first when you type your own name into Google?
No, it’s a long time since I typed my own name into Google. Today, I mostly search for news, especially business-related stories, sport, as I love cricket and information for my daughter.
In layman’s terms, how does Google work?
Google’s computers look at hundreds of different factors when ranking our search results, from the title, sub-headings and text of a web page to the proximity of the key words to one another. We also use PageRank, which counts links from one page to another as votes for that page. The more votes a page gets, the higher its ranking.
It might sound simple, but PageRank is an equation with over 500 million variables.
Chinahas its own version of Google. Do you deal with a lot of censorship issues in the Middle East?
Some, but not that many. A lot of Middle Eastern governments are working hard to increase access to the internet, as they understand its economic and educational value. At Google we believe that more information generally means more choice, more freedom and ultimately more power for the individual. In terms of China, we thought long and hard about whether to launch Google.cn. We decided that engagement was more likely to help development in China than estrangement. We only remove results from our search index when required by law, and we do always tell our users.
Google has made research on anything and everything exceptionally easier. But has it made modern society lazier?
I don’t think so. I believe people are naturally inquisitive, so the easier you make it for them to find information, the more they will search. The facts seem to support that analysis: up to 25 per cent of the queries we get every day are totally new. We’ve never seen them before.
Do you have measures in place for if Google were ever to crash?
Obviously we invest huge amounts of time and money in ensuring that this does not happen.
Is Google a terrorist target?
For obvious reasons, we don’t talk too much about the measures we take to secure our systems. But maintaining the highest levels of security is really important to us. Identity theft is a problem. That’s why Google has signed up to StopBadware.org, a campaign which encourages users to report sites they find which contain any malicious software.
Define ‘Google culture’.
Google’s culture is driven by a desire to put users first. We are encouraged to build great products which people love to use before worrying about how to make money from them. This gives our engineers the freedom to experiment and innovate, developing products that can make a real difference to people’s lives.
‘Googleplex’ or the Google office, with its beanbags, free-flowing smoothies and roaming pet dogs, sounds unique. Does this encourage productivity?
I think the physical environment you work in has an enormous impact on your effectiveness: the way Google is set up stimulates ideas, spurs creativity, and encourages collaboration. After all, the next great idea could come from a shared meal in a café or over a game of pool.
You manage Google’s operations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. How does each differ?
They are all very different regions: not just in terms of language but also culture and web maturity. In places like the UK, you have high levels of broadband penetration and internet usage, while in Africa most people sadly don’t even have access to a telephone, let alone the web. The reality is that in such a diverse region, one size can never fit all.
Do you have a lot of issues over here with Google Earth, due to companies wanting to keep new projects under wraps?
We face issues with Google Earth from time to time in different parts of the world. But let’s focus on the positive: Google Earth is used by millions of people around the world to explore our planet. Many governments and relief agencies have used it to cope with natural disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina, the earthquake in Kashmir and the recent fires in California.
What will be the core message of your lecture here in Dubai?
That the internet is changing our world and companies need to adapt. That means getting online and using the web to interact with users.
How do you cope with the stress of such a high-flying job?
I think I have one of the best jobs in the world: I work with smart people, on interesting projects that can make a real difference to millions worldwide. But the most important thing in my life is not actually my job, it’s my family: so when I am not in the office I spend as much time as I can with my wife and daughter.
Leaders in Dubai, November 18-20, International Convention Centre.
See www.leadersindubai.com for details.
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