Three Google Truths: The Best Career Advice I Got While Building AI

Google is a place that throws around a lot of "wisdom." But amidst the well-intentioned platitudes and leadership mantras, there were a few nuggets of advice that truly stuck with me. Here are three that fundamentally changed the way I approach my work, and life in general:

1. "If No One's Angry, You're Not Being Disruptive Enough"

I was deep in the trenches of Google's Global Business Organization (GBO), leading the development of a new product that felt truly groundbreaking. We were building native, in-app, Assistant-like features for major products like Google Play and Google Pay. The goal: eliminate the need for clunky help centers and frustrating support calls by using NLP and AI to guide users seamlessly through their issues.

Our team was buzzing. We had 3 launches with major consumer products including Gmail, Play, and Pay India, a roadmap of half a billion user sessions within the next year in our sights, and a waiting list of over ten Google products eager to adopt our technology. But then came the pushback. Not from users, but from within Google itself. Established teams, with their legacy systems and deeply ingrained ways of doing things, weren’t exactly thrilled with our "disruption."

I was frustrated. We were solving a real problem, and our solution was better. Why all the resistance?

That’s when my Senior Director at the time, a seasoned veteran of disruptive technology with startup experience, gave me this advice: "If no one's angry, you're not being disruptive enough."

It was a lightbulb moment. Real innovation, the kind that moves the needle, rarely happens without ruffling a few feathers. It requires challenging the status quo, pushing boundaries, and yes, sometimes making people a little uncomfortable. That resistance, as frustrating as it can be, is often a sign that you’re onto something big.

From that point on, I wore the pushback as a badge of honor, a sign that we were actually making a difference. I embraced anger, confusion, and internal resistance. It was like my director had imparted a judo skill - which I used to anticipate reactions. Ultimately I got much better at maneuvering the internal politics at Google due to this new insight.

2. "The Sun Will Explode in 5 Billion Years. Now What?"

Another gem from my brilliant former Senior Director. We were in his office one day, probably discussing some impending deadline or product launch crisis, when he casually dropped this cosmic truth bomb: "You know, in 5 billion years, the sun will explode and everything we do will be meaningless."

My initial reaction was, "Well, that's cheery." But then it hit me. He wasn’t trying to be nihilistic; he was offering a powerful perspective shift.

When we’re caught up in the daily grind, it’s easy to lose sight of the bigger picture. Deadlines feel like life-or-death situations, office politics can feel all-consuming. But in the grand scheme of things, most of it just doesn't matter that much.

That’s not to say we shouldn't care about our work or strive for excellence. It’s more about choosing our battles wisely and not sweating the small stuff. It’s about remembering that our time on this planet is finite and precious, and we should spend it doing things that truly matter to us.

Maybe the true meaning of humanity isn’t just to build cool tech, but to outsmart our own cosmic demise.

A bit dramatic? Sure. But undeniably effective in snapping me out of a deadline-induced panic attack.

3. "If I Don't Have 30 Minutes to Help a Teammate, I'm Doing Something Wrong"

This one came from Phil, a brilliant PM I met during my first few weeks as a full-time Googler. I was fresh out of college, totally overwhelmed, and desperate for guidance. Phil, two levels above me and working on what seemed like the most important projects at Google at the time, kindly offered me 30 minutes of his time.

I expressed my gratitude sincerely for the meeting.

"If I don't even have 30 minutes to help a new teammate, then I'm not managing my time very well, am I?" he said.

That simple statement completely reframed my understanding of “busy.” Being busy shouldn’t mean being inaccessible or too important to help others. It’s about prioritizing what truly matters, and sometimes, the most impactful thing you can do is lend a helping hand.

It's a lesson I've carried with me throughout my career, and it's one I try to embody every day. Because in the end, success is best measured not just by what we achieve individually, but by the impact we have on those around us.