Google’s unanswered question

In advance of Google’s being named the best company to work for in America, for the second year in a row I sat down recently with the founders of Google (GOOG), Sergey Brin and Larry Page, and CEO Eric Schmidt. Toward the end of the interview, I asked what Google will do when it inevitably hits the wall, when the company suffers a major hiccup. Sergey Brin gave a thoughtful answer that essentially said that everything Google does for employees will serve it well in tough times. (A different version of the interview appears in the current issue of Fortune Magazine.)

That’s good and fine. But what I really want to know is whether Google does scenario planning for that day and if so, what’s the plan of action. No company is immune from a major slowdown — or worse. IBM (IBM), Microsoft (MSFT), Dell (DELL), even Wal-Mart (WMT). Each was invincible at some point, and each sooner or later missed its moment. Each planned inadequately for the deluge. Is it even possible? I’d love to know your thoughts.

Filed under Best Companies to Work For, Google

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Wall Street watchers think of capital markets and financial players out west as being on the "other" coast. That's not how it's viewed in the Pacific time zone. From the venture capitalists of Sand Hill Road to the bond kingpins of Orange County to the corporate finance department at a certain software company in Redmond, Wash., there's plenty going on "out there." Adam Lashinsky should know. A native of Chicago, he has covered West Coast finance for a decade, with an emphasis on money matters in Silicon Valley. If it involves money and it's happening west of the Mississippi, look for it in Go West.

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