Patrick Pichette

“Everybody knows: people, operations, and the HR component of Google is one critical strategic asset that we have.”

“On mobile, knowing where your friends are at any time is actually a pretty important part of your mobile experience.”

“I am a mild introvert. But I have learned to be a very successful extrovert because if you want impact, you have to work with people.”

“I spend my weekends with my Android phone in an elastic band that has tied to my Android phone my driver's license and my credit card. That's how I live. I'm not carrying a wallet anymore. Like, a wallet is a medieval item, right?”

“We could auto-replenish as you take things out of the fridge. Why not?”

“With scale, there always becomes this tension of, how do you keep the start-up philosophy?”

“Relative to Google or the kind of turnaround we're seeing, we do care about profitability. That is our goal in every one of the areas where we invest.”

“When our kids are asked by their friends about the success of the longevity of our marriage, they simply joke that Tamar and I have spent so little time together that 'it's really too early to tell' if our marriage will, in fact, succeed.”

“Humans are animals of habit - they convince themselves they can't change. And that premise is wrong.”

“We all know that mobile's going to change the world.”

“Once you have children, you're basically hunkered down until at least late high school.”

“The surprising question we get is, 'How many people telecommute at Google?' And our answer is, 'As few as possible.'”

“People see the speed; people see the innovation, the relentless innovation, and that's what Google is about.”

“It's important that you don't lie to yourself. If you lie to yourself, you end up with burnout.”

“People think, 'Well, because you're at Google, you can work from anywhere.' Yes, you can work from anywhere, but many just commute to offices... Working from the office is really important.”

“When work starts feeling too comfortable, fire yourself; go get another job.”

“Google is a very responsible company. It's a generous company, but it's very frugal in many ways.”

“In the end, life is wonderful but nonetheless a series of trade offs, especially between business/professional endeavours and family/community.”

“After taking a two-year sabbatical to spend time with my wife and travel the world, I'm excited to join the Twitter Board and help the company advance its mission.”

“When you start traveling and thinking from a global perspective, you realize how small the planet is and how predatory we are to its ecology.”