Tag: Google

We continued our second week by visiting YouTube’s main offices in San Bruno. YouTube is the world’s largest video-sharing website founded in 2005. YouTube innovated quickly and grew larger than even Google’s own video streaming service, so Google acquired the company in 2006. Under Google, the company has been growing continuously and is now being used by millions of people worldwide. It was very inspiring to have a glimpse into how YouTube delivers their service and innovates on new products.

After a tour of the offices, we met and talked with a panel of Duke alumni working in a variety of roles in YouTube, ranging from product management to data science. I found the journey of Tom Price (’06), a product manager for YouTube’s growth platform, to be particularly interesting. Unlike most Duke graduates we met so far working in the tech industry in Silicon Valley, Tom did not graduate college with a technical background. Instead, he studied French at Duke and worked as a paralegal in Paris for a few years after college. He then worked at an advertising company that was eventually acquired by Google, where he stayed since. I found Tom’s story to be inspiring, as it shows an unconventional career path in the tech industry. There is no single, prescriptive path to technology or innovation; instead, we should all seek to forge our own unique paths. As students, we should always try to keep an open mind, and seek out the opportunities that are most interesting to us.

Next, we had the opportunity to visit Apple Park, Apple’s recently built headquarters in Cupertino. After immersing ourselves in the campus’ grand architecture that deeply reflects Apple’s design philosophy of simplicity, we met with Eddy Cue (T ’86). He joined Apple in 1989, and is now Senior VP of Internet Software and Services. He spoke to us regarding how Apple was able to grow and become the successful and innovative company it is today. In particular, he talked about how Apple was always able to focus on quality, not quantity. Unlike most competitors, Apple focuses on delivering the highest quality products, not the highest number of products. That philosophy, combined with Apple’s track record of seizing the right opportunities at the right times, helped propel the company to success.

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After sharing his experiences working at Apple (especially during the period when Steve Jobs was fired and then later brought back as CEO), Eddy also touched upon the importance of leadership. Without the right leaders in place, an organization can quickly become stagnant and fail as incompetence can quickly permeate throughout a company. On the other hand, the best leaders for a company are needed to steer it in the right direction. Lastly, Eddy shared with us his vision for the future: he foresees an increase in wearable devices, and connected services that integrate personal health and consumer technology.

Our last stop of the week was Planet Labs, an Earth imaging company that operates one of the largest constellations of imaging satellites to date. The company is able to capture images of the entire Earth at incredible resolution, once every day. It then sells its data and insights to clients who may use the data to improve land usage, serve humanitarian missions, achieve civil/defense goals, or aid academic research. At Planet Labs, we spoke to Emmanuel Lim, a Duke mechanical engineering graduate who originally planned to go into academia but pivoted into spacecraft design engineering at Planet Labs instead. He introduced us to the idea of agile development in the space industry, which involves bringing the fast-paced nature of software development that is already deeply ingrained in Silicon Valley culture to developing spacecraft. This idea is especially refreshing and innovative in a field that is traditionally dominated by government and immensely expensive, multi-year projects. Seeing the development and testing of satellites in-house was very impressive, and it shows that great ideas can quickly disrupt traditional modes of thinking and drive innovation.

This week has been a great learning experience, as we not only continued to explore companies working at the forefront of their respective industries, but also met with Duke alumni who spoke to us about their own personal experiences and careers. I am looking forward to next week, as we continue to learn and experience all that Silicon Valley has to offer.

Alex Xu is a rising sophomore from Long Island, New York pursuing a major in Electrical and Computer Engineering. In his free time, Alex enjoys traveling, hiking, and outdoor photography. Through Duke in Silicon Valley, Alex is excited to learn more about entrepreneurship and commercialization in the tech industry.

DSV Week One: Kicking it off on the Cutting-Edge

By Brendan Quinlan

On June 3, 2019

“Using knowledge for the service of society!” -Brenda, Tesla Tour Guide regarding the amazing opportunity of DSV

Week one of Duke in Silicon Valley took our cohort of students around the Bay Area, presenting learning opportunities in and out of the classroom. There’s no better place to start than with our professor Salman Azar. Prof. Azar’s unique approach to teaching has encouraged us to think like entrepreneurs. By investigating his lectures and creating in depth conversations with our peers, we have learned to dig deeper and realize the true cause of innovation: challenging the current norms of society to create a more efficient world. This has also been reinforced at the sites we visited last week.

Our first visit was to Smartcar API, a software company which allows consumers to connect their vehicles to an app. Utilizing their platform allows owners to locate their vehicles, pull a VIN number, lock/unlock their doors, and make car sharing easy. While we were all impressed by the concept of the company, it was especially interesting talking to Duke graduates working at the startup. What once was a team of two has now grown to over twenty thanks to the help of people such as Jeremy Zhang, ’17 and Sydney Palumbo, ’18. They discussed the benefits of working for a small company, such as working with various teams and learning different parts of the business. Being able to hear former Duke students talk with pride about being integral parts of Smartcar’s expansion truly embodied the spirit of Silicon Valley. I believe many students on the DSV program became interested in working with a startup after our visit to Smartcar.

We then had the great opportunity to visit Google. At Google, we received a different perspective of innovation from another Duke graduate David Thacker, ’97. Mr. Thacker talked to us about his position as a product management VP at a leading company in the technology industry. It was interesting to hear him speak about his work with applications we as students use so often in our academic careers, such as Gmail and Google Docs. He connected his position to Google’s mission statement: “to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” Though we consume Google’s technology on a daily basis, we never think about what their goals are as a business. While being one of the biggest companies in the world, Google continues to focus on innovation and finding new ways to improve the lives of its users. Not to mention their basketball court, putting green, swimming pool, and cool water bottles.

Our final stop of week one culminated in our factory tour of Tesla. The pinnacle of vehicle innovation was showcased in their 5.3 million square foot factory, larger than Vatican City. Their world class facility produces cars “to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.” Robots everywhere smelting, pressing, cutting, and building amazed us. The technology used in Tesla factory is not only incredible in itself, but its ability to create vehicles which environmentally benefit the planet exemplifies Silicon Valley as a center of cutting-edge technology. However, make sure you wear long pants if you want to go on the tour, or you might have to be innovative!

Overall, DSV has already provided us with an enormous breadth of knowledge after only one week. Inside and outside of the classroom, being immersed in Silicon Valley has allowed us to witness innovation and entrepreneurship at its forefront. I look forward to continuing the program and making the most of the incredible opportunity we are experiencing.

Evan is a rising junior from New York City majoring in Public Policy, minoring in Political Science, and pursuing a certificate in Innovation & Entrepreneurship. His interest in entrepreneurship has sparked from his involvement in Bull City Beds, a student run company which provides luxury bed rentals. He hopes to sharpen his skills by immersing himself in the unique culture present in Silicon Valley. Outside of the classroom, his interests include New York sports, cooking, traveling, and philanthropy.

One day I’ll go to Heaven… I’ll look around and say, “It ain’t bad but it ain’t San Francisco” – Herb Caen

By Brendan Quinlan

On June 26, 2017

In 2017

Our last week felt like a whirlwind as last-weeks often do. Monday was a bit shortened, which allowed us all to catch up on our work and enjoy the divine California sun. We also heard from a former Duke engineer-now entrepreneur- whose first words were “Don’t record anything I’m about to tell you!”. Despite his warning, he did not divulge government confidential or the secret ingredient in Coca-Cola; Rather, he spoke on the importance of choosing to do the right thing over what might make you the most money. “You will always have chances to make more money in your life. Rebuilding your reputation is much, much more difficult.”, are some of his words that stuck with me. This type of thought has been a theme throughout this program. Time and time again we’ve heard about the importance of honesty, transparency, and fairness. We’ve had speakers who have made fortunes, who have worked at all the biggest companies with all the biggest names, and who continue to be extremely successful, and yet nearly everybody maintained that they only got to where they were by being earnest and sincere. It’s an amazing thing to see, and certainly the rest of the world could benefit from this kind of thinking. The rest of Monday was spent sitting poolside, playing basketball, and belatedly calling fathers to wish them a happy Father’s Day.

On Tuesday, we ventured into San Francisco to visit LinkedIn and Blackrock Financial, an investment company. I personally was unimpressed with LinkedIn; The speakers were uninspiring, and as one of my colleagues pointed out, they really don’t have much competition in the professional social network realm, which has limited their innovation. With a beautiful view of the financial district in their 18th story office though, it’s tough not to be slightly allured by their attractive design and mission statement to “Connect the World’s professionals and make them more productive and successful.”

Blackrock, too, was interesting. Their office offered a stylistic change to the open office and ping pong tables we had come to expect of the companies we visited. Blackrock was much more of a traditional corporate office building, with cubicles, large boardrooms, and lots of genuine leather desk chairs. After a traditional Q&A session, one of the panelists mentioned that her work day is “7:30-6, Monday through Friday.” Wow!

DSV

This highlights a point I feel is necessary to mention: innovation does not come without a cost. It can be easy to overlook just how hard these people are working when all we see are smiling faces gushing about the free lunches and awesome amenities their companies offer. They say if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life. However, I am constantly questioning to what extent people actually love San Francisco and Silicon Valley, and how many people love it because they believe they have to love it. During our whole trip, not once did I hear someone say anything incriminating about the Bay, which I found peculiar. From the outside, the bay has it all: a bounty of stimulating work opportunities, beautiful panoramic views, all the food you could ever want, along with an extremely diverse community of intelligent individuals. But this doesn’t mean it’s perfect for everyone. For a lot of young professionals, the goal is to simply make it here; Once they get to San Francisco, they believe they will be happy, because here is the place they have been working towards their whole life; San Francisco represents a professional zenith. And because who wouldn’t be happy here?

When the reality is a bit different- work is demanding and the paradoxical loneliness of a big city creeps its way into the self-conscious- it can be hard to admit that this isn’t the right place for you, especially when everyone else seems happy. The bay has a hypnotic attraction to it, and even I feel myself giving in to the mesmerizing appeal of California.

Wednesday, we visited the infamous Google. Their campus is enormous and amazing. With a huge ecosystem of interlocking buildings for business and leisure, it feels like you’re walking through a college campus. Each panelist had a palpable acuity and a refreshing curiosity that poured through as they answered our questions. This place is truly the heart of innovation, although one must question whether it’s really possible to “Do no evil” (A core value of google) when you have a company that controls more than 40% of the internet.

Thursday we heard from a self-proclaimed socialist who is currently dissatisfied with the present model of wealth distribution. Particular quotes included “People will receive universal income” and “There will be 12.5 hour work weeks.” At one point I would have scoffed at these kinds of fantastic claims, but with four weeks of training practicing analytical thinking, I digested these claims and considered why our speaker believed this and what made her come to these conclusions in the first place. It was a fantastic conversation, and one fitting for the last day of a great program.

As our week comes to a close, and we say our goodbyes with stomachs full of Neapolitan pizza and brains filled with new knowledge, I can’t help but feel another overwhelming sensation envelope me: love. Love for all the new friends with whom I’ve shared an amazing experience, love for the area and the “culture of innovation” that has challenged me and forced me to think in unique and special ways, and above all, love for the amazing opportunity this program was and the wealth of new experiences I have gained from it. Only by communicating, empathizing, and understanding with one another, will we find success in what we do.

I want to thank, too, our amazing professor, Salman Azhar. This program simply would not have been the same without his boundless energy and Cheshire-cat smile. Thanks too, to Kevin Hoch, the program director and trip “dad,” as well as Emilie and Megan, without whom the program would not have been possible. Long live DSV and go Blue Devils!

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Lee is a rising sophomore studying Public Policy at Duke. He came to the valley to interact with interesting people and learn their favorite kind of bubble tea flavor. In his free time, Lee enjoys watching watching T.V., eating gelato, and scouring the internet for pictures of golden retrievers.

Silicon Valley – A Mindset, Not a Location

By Brendan Quinlan

On June 15, 2017

In 2017

…..Don’t be afraid to fail…..

….There are 2 steps to success: 1. write it down 2. go do it….

….100% intention, only then will you have execution…..

….I wanted to love what I do, and so I followed my passion….

Sounds inspirational? Motivating? Well, safe to say this is what has been ringing in every student’s ear at DSV this week as we meet and speak with visionaries who have transformed challenging ideas into reality.

The week started with a visit to an uncommon company, not one that is usually associated with ‘startups.’ ThirdLove is a startup founded by a Duke Alum, Heidi Zak, and aims to transform the way bras and underwear our bought and perceived. Being a girl myself, the mission of ThirdLove resonated with me – lingerie’s sole purpose is not to make others happy or to make a woman look appealing, it’s to offer comfort. The minute we stepped into the beautiful office, I could sense I was part of a busy and bustling startup – exposed brick walls, clear windows all around you, a kitchen stocked with brew fountains and numerous snacks to a team that screamed innovation, hard work and a love for their brand. I found this visit helpful for we not only heard how the founder spotted a problem, thought of a novel solution and began to execute it, but we got to speak to professionals in her company from different sectors, understanding what kind of roles do each sphere have to offer.

On the following day, we kicked off our morning with a truly inspirational and refreshing talk given by Sanyin Siang, Executive Director of Coach K Leadership and Ethics Center. She had a lot of advice and insights to offer to help us be our own super heroes, and what reverberated inside me most was her rule of “failing.” “Don’t be afraid to fail,” I remember her saying. It’s easier said than done, I thought, and considering us Duke students are known to possess this “effortless perfection” attribute, how does one deal with failure? In a world of innovation, entrepreneurs all around are trying to be the next Snapchat or Facebook, how do they deal with constant failure? Sayin, being a Duke alum herself, clearly stated that no one is effortlessly perfect, simply, no one is perfect. And success doesn’t only mean making a lot of money, getting an A+ or landing that coveted job at Google. It means knowing why you failed, and learning from your mistake, and starting again. If you didn’t learn, then it is a failure. Other than that, everything is a success in life for it allows you to constantly improve and be the best version of yourself. These are important lessons to keep in mind when stepping into the professional, especially entrepreneurial world, and understanding that things go wrong for a reason.

Following this inspiring talk, we drove up to PayPal, attempted to take a creatively funny Boomerang in front of the logo, realized we looked ridiculous, and continued to take more. PayPal blew my mind and continued to constantly surprise me with the services they had to offer and planned to offer. With beautiful and interactive displays that helped showcase their products (a burger restaurant setup, an ice-cream parlor set up and a mini boutique with an interactive mirror in the trial room was only the tip of the iceberg at PayPal). Steve Fusco, a duke alum working at PayPal, gave us a powerful talk on the realities of life post college, with some funny and some eye-opening anecdotes from his personal. PayPal, on the surface is another fin-tech company, but as you go deeper, creativity, innovation and novelty seem to be their core components. They have implanted QR code scanning to pay for your burger order, sharing the bill for online purchases with peers to touch screen mirrors in some of their partner clothing brands. The list is long, and from the looks of it, never ending!

While a lot of moments during this trip have been mind-opening, mouth gaping, and eye catching, our visit to Zume Pizza has made it to my top favorites.

Not only did we get to see ROBOTS make PIZZA (a culmination of the two great things in life) that are healthy for you, half the calories than a Dominos’ pizza and have no chemicals, we got to speak to the CEO who moved every student to realize that even “impossible” spells out “i m possible.” Even though he dropped out of high school at 14, nothing stopped his learning curve. He has had multiple successful startups and successful jobs in every sphere imaginable. Why? He wants to experience new things. He does not want to stop. He gave us one very important advice as future innovators – people will tell you something cannot be done, they are wrong. You are wrong. Think about that problem in a different way, for if there is a problem, there is a solution. And there are no hard or easy problems, a problem is simply a problem and needs a solution.

Overall, this week had showers of inspiration while we DSV students happily got drenched in it. In class, we began design thinking to create a game for our final project. This was highly fruitful because it allowed to use everything we learned in class and finally apply it to a tangible project, in a very similar fashion to how entrepreneurs use design thinking for their startups. The week was a massive success and I cannot wait to soak every bit of the last week!

Adiva Shah is a rising junior at Duke University pursuing a major in Physics, minor in Computer Science and a certificate in Innovation and Entrepreneurship. She was born and brought up in Mumbai, India and wants to work in the business/finance world.

Tag: Google

DSV Week Two: Unconventional Journeys to Disruptive Innovation

DSV Week One: Kicking it off on the Cutting-Edge

One day I’ll go to Heaven… I’ll look around and say, “It ain’t bad but it ain’t San Francisco” – Herb Caen

Silicon Valley – A Mindset, Not a Location