Sergey Brin Needs A Better Agent

Moment Magazine, a D.C.-based Jewish publication "dedicated to serious, highly-literate, intellectual journalism" and whose mission statement runs about half a page longer than necessary, has a profile up on Google co-founder Sergey Brin.

While not much info is offered up in the way of new and interesting biographical tidbits on Brin, the love affair that writer/profiler Mark Malseed has with the English language and/or himself is self-evident.

Case-in-point:

Stepping through the sliding glass door into their office is like walking into a playroom for tech-savvy adults. A row of sleek flat-screen monitors lining one wall displays critical information: email, calendars, documents and, naturally, the Google search engine. Assorted green plants and an air purifier keep the oxygen flowing, while medicine balls provide appropriately kinetic seating. Upstairs, a private mezzanine with Astroturf carpeting and an electric massage chair afford Sergey and Larry a comfortable perch from which to entertain visitors and survey the carnival of innovation going on below. And there is ample space for walking around, which is absolutely essential for Sergey, who just can’t seem to sit still.

Trim and boyishly handsome, with low sloping shoulders that give him a perpetually relaxed appearance, Sergey bounces around the Googleplex with apparently endless energy. He has dark hair, penetrating eyes and a puckish sense of humor that often catches people off guard. A typical workday finds him in jeans, sneakers and a fitted black T-shirt, though his casual manner belies a serious, even aggressive sense of purpose. This intensity emerges during weekly strategy meetings, where Sergey and Larry—who share the title of president—command the last word on approving new products, reviewing new hires and funding long-term research. Sergey also holds sway over the unscientific but all-important realms of people, policy and politics. Google’s workers enjoy such family-friendly perks as three free meals a day, free home food delivery for new parents, designated private spaces for nursing mothers, and full on-site medical care, all of which recently led Fortune magazine to rank the company as the #1 place to work in the country.

"Stepping through the sliding glass door into their office is like walking into a playroom for tech-savvy adults." Um, duh. It is walking into a playroom for tech-savvy adults. Furthermore, you can learn all this stuff (and more) by perusing a much less self-congratulatory alternative ("The Google Story") at your local bookseller.