16 Google Books That Industry Leaders Trust and Recommend

What happens when an insider with engineering expertise exposes the hidden mechanisms of censorship within a tech giant? Kent Heckenlively and Zach Vorhies deliver a detailed account of Google's internal manipulation, revealing how political bias and AI-driven content control reshaped information during critical moments like the 2016 election. You gain insight into proprietary systems like "Machine Learning Fairness" and witness firsthand the repercussions of algorithmic bias on free speech and market sectors. This book is especially relevant if you're seeking to understand the intersection of technology, politics, and digital ethics from the perspective of someone who witnessed it from the inside.

During the tech bubble burst, Bill Kilday found himself at the heart of a small startup that would redefine navigation forever. Drawing from his 25-year career in technology and game marketing, he offers a detailed account of how Keyhole evolved from near collapse into Google Maps and Google Earth, blending insider stories with the broader implications of mapping technology. You’ll gain insight into early challenges like negotiating geocoding data and witness how mapping transformed from a niche tool into an everyday utility, touching on the rise of Pokémon GO and future innovations like driverless cars. This book suits you if you're fascinated by tech history, digital mapping, or the intersection of augmented reality and navigation.

This personalized book explores the vast ecosystem of Google with a tailored focus that matches your background, interests, and goals. It covers everything from Google's core tools and services to deeper insights into its culture and innovation practices. By synthesizing a wide range of expert knowledge and applying it to your specific learning path, the book reveals how Google’s technologies interconnect and how you can leverage them effectively. The tailored content ensures you engage directly with areas most relevant to you, whether that’s mastering Google Workspace, understanding cloud solutions, or navigating Google’s leadership mindset. This approach delivers an immersive learning experience designed to deepen your understanding and practical skills within Google’s dynamic environment.

What started as venture capitalist John Doerr's challenge to help Google focus its explosive ambitions became a revealing look into how the Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) system drives organizational success. You learn not just the theory but also how OKRs bring clarity and measurable progress to companies, with vivid case studies including Google, Bono’s ONE campaign, and the Gates Foundation. This book breaks down how transparent goal-setting aligns teams, sharpens priorities, and fosters accountability at every level. If you're involved in leadership or management, especially in fast-growing environments, you’ll find clear insights on steering your organization toward meaningful outcomes.

When Eric Schmidt, Jonathan Rosenberg, and Alan Eagle wrote this book, they distilled decades of firsthand experience working with Bill Campbell, the mentor behind Silicon Valley's biggest successes. You’ll learn the leadership principles that helped Campbell nurture trust, inspire courage, and resolve conflicts among top executives at Google, Apple, and beyond. The book offers concrete examples, like how Campbell’s coaching style accelerated team performance and fostered deep personal growth, even in high-pressure environments. If you’re leading fast-moving teams or aiming to build a culture of respect and innovation, this book provides a clear, grounded blueprint based on real-world insight rather than abstract theory.

When Robert G. Pascall turned his focus to Google Sheets, he recognized how many beginners wrestle with its complexity and wasted time. This book walks you through mastering the interface, essential formulas, and data visualization techniques, like pivot tables and conditional formatting, that transform raw data into clear insights. Pascall’s background in digital productivity shines through as he simplifies automation with macros and scripting, making your spreadsheet work not only faster but smarter. If you need to improve your data handling skills without getting overwhelmed, this guide provides the fundamentals and practical shortcuts to help you work confidently with Google Sheets.

This tailored book explores a focused, step-by-step pathway designed to accelerate your mastery of Google technologies. It reveals how to build skills rapidly with personalized content that matches your experience and interests. By examining key Google tools and platforms, it uncovers practical actions and learning sequences tailored to your specific goals, allowing you to progress efficiently without extraneous information. The book covers essential concepts and hands-on techniques, making complex topics accessible through a customized learning plan. Its tailored approach ensures that you engage deeply with the material most relevant to your background, offering a unique and motivating way to grow your expertise in Google’s ecosystem.

After analyzing countless user experiences and practical applications, Robert G. Pascall developed this guide to unravel the complexities of Google Workspace. You’ll learn not only how to navigate Gmail, Drive, Docs, and Sheets but also discover lesser-known features like custom calendar setups and scripting basics in Sheets that boost productivity. For educators, remote workers, and anyone eager to optimize their digital collaboration, this book offers clear guidance through 14 integrated apps, making your daily workflow more efficient and organized. Chapters such as organizing files in Drive and programming in Sheets provide concrete skills that empower you beyond the basics.

What started as Laszlo Bock’s hands-on experience managing Google’s people operations became a detailed exploration of how work can be reimagined to foster creativity and satisfaction. You’ll learn to challenge traditional management norms—like removing unnecessary hierarchy, paying unfairly to reward top talent, and relying on data over gut feelings. The book dives into specific practices Google developed over 15 years, such as encouraging openness and feedback, that help companies attract and keep exceptional employees. If you’re leading a team or building a company culture, this book lays out concrete ideas to rethink how work and leadership intersect.

What if everything you knew about Google’s origins was incomplete? Anna Crowley Redding, an award-winning investigative reporter, offers a detailed narrative tracing the company’s evolution from two Stanford students’ thesis project to a tech giant shaping global information access. You’ll explore how Larry Page and Sergey Brin’s unconventional ideas and relentless innovation fueled Google’s rise, with chapters packed with engaging facts, graphics, and personal insights. This book suits those curious about tech entrepreneurship, corporate history, or the cultural impact of Google’s innovations, providing a clear window into the company’s journey without oversimplifying its complexities.

Unlike most business books that focus narrowly on theory, How Google Works offers a firsthand account from Eric Schmidt and Jonathan Rosenberg, who steered Google through rapid growth and disruption. You get an insider’s perspective on cultivating a corporate culture that thrives on innovation, managing "smart creatives," and navigating seismic shifts like the internet, mobile, and cloud computing. The authors share practical philosophies such as "Consensus requires dissension" and "Think 10X, not 10%," backed by vivid stories from Google's internal history. If you want to understand how to empower talented teams and rethink decision-making in a fast-changing tech landscape, this book lays out lessons directly from one of the world’s most influential companies.

JJ Geewax, a software engineer at Google with expertise in cloud platforms and API design, offers a detailed guide to deploying scalable applications on Google Cloud Platform. You learn to navigate and select from GCP’s extensive services, including managed storage options like Cloud SQL and Bigtable, serverless computing with Cloud Functions, and container orchestration via Kubernetes Engine. The book walks you through practical projects such as launching a WordPress site and integrating cloud-based AI services for vision and language, helping you understand both the "how" and "why" behind GCP's architecture. If you're an intermediate developer eager to build resilient, cost-effective cloud applications without prior cloud experience, this book aligns well with your goals.

What happens when a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist dives into the rise of a tech giant? David A. Vise, with his investigative rigor from years at The Washington Post, teams up with Mark Malseed to unpack Google's journey from a Stanford startup to a global powerhouse. You’ll gain insights into the company’s unique culture, groundbreaking search algorithms, and bold business decisions that reshaped how we access information. Chapters reveal how Google’s founders balanced rapid growth with their "Don't Be Evil" ethos, offering a nuanced look at innovation and corporate responsibility. If you want to understand the tech world beyond headlines, this book lays out the story with clarity and depth.

When Steven Levy gained unprecedented access to Google's inner workings, he peeled back layers of secrecy to reveal a company driven by an engineering mindset and relentless innovation. You get detailed insights into Google's culture, from its rigorous hiring process, famously approved by Larry Page himself, to its sprawling campus that nurtures creativity and risk-taking. Levy doesn't shy away from exploring Google's challenges, like its controversial ventures into social networking and international privacy debates, providing a nuanced view of how the company balances ideals with business realities. You’ll understand how Google transformed from a Stanford startup into a digital giant shaping your daily life, with chapters covering everything from the birth of AdWords to the development of YouTube and cloud computing. This book suits anyone curious about the mechanics behind one of the most influential tech companies and the forces shaping the internet's future.

Drawing from their extensive experience in marketing analytics, Michael Loban and Alex Yastrebenetsky crafted this guide to elevate your understanding of digital analytics maturity. You’ll explore six essential focus areas for digital transformation, learn why the Google Marketing Platform leads the industry, and uncover how to navigate changes like Google Analytics 4 and Ads Data Hub. The book walks you through managing data governance under evolving privacy laws such as the California Consumer Privacy Act, helping you build confidence in your data-driven marketing decisions. Whether you’re refining your analytics approach or choosing the right tools, this book offers a clear framework that benefits marketing professionals aiming to harness analytics for better ROI.

Unlike most software engineering books that focus on isolated coding techniques, this volume draws on the authors' extensive experience within Google's massive codebase to address sustaining and evolving software over time. Titus Winters, a senior staff engineer leading Google's C++ library efforts, teams with Tom Manshreck and Hyrum Wright to reveal how scale, time, and organizational culture shape engineering practices. You’ll learn about balancing design trade-offs, maintaining code health, and adapting systems as requirements shift, with detailed discussions of Google's unique tools and processes. This book suits engineers and tech leads who grapple with long-lived, complex codebases rather than just writing short-term scripts.

Dario Cabianca, a seasoned cloud architect with over twenty years of experience and multiple certifications including GCP, AWS, and Azure, crafted this study companion to fill a gap in resources for the Google Cloud Platform Professional Cloud Network Engineer exam. You’ll learn how GCP’s networking differs from other clouds, including handling virtual private clouds spanning multiple regions, hybrid connectivity, and network security configurations. The book walks you through practical application of these concepts aligned with exam objectives, blending theory with hands-on examples like designing virtual private clouds and optimizing network resources. If you’re a software or cloud engineer with some programming background aiming to deepen your GCP networking skills, this book gives you focused preparation and real insight into Google’s cloud infrastructure.

What started as a mission to cut through the clutter of Google Ads misinformation became a definitive resource authored by Perry Marshall, Mike Rhodes, and Bryan Todd, each bringing deep expertise in advertising and analytics. You’ll learn how to harness advanced bidding strategies, leverage remarketing lists for search ads, and utilize Google’s evolving ad extensions to boost your campaign’s performance. The book also dives into automation with scripts and offers bonus content for setting up online business essentials, making it particularly useful if you want to increase website traffic and sales through Google Ads. Whether you’re new to advertising or looking to refine your campaigns, this guide lays out concrete techniques with clear examples and updated screenshots to help you navigate Google’s complex advertising ecosystem.