Ruth Porat

“Women are still not reaching the most senior levels of corporations. This is not the shortcoming of women. We're talented and smart.”

“One of the biggest problems women have is they work really hard and put their heads down and assume hard work gets noticed. And hard work for the wrong boss does not get noticed. Hard work for the wrong boss results in one thing - that boss looks terrific, and you get stuck.”

“I've had the opportunity to experience firsthand how tech companies can help people in their daily lives.”

“There are no good options in the midst of a crisis.”

“I have seen too many people in my career think that there is some natural progression to life, with certain career milestones preceding whatever you may want in your personal life. Unfortunately, life doesn't know it is supposed to follow a schedule.”

“Since 1987, there are now many more of us as at the higher levels with families, so I think, as role models, we are encouraging more women to stay within banking and rise up through the ranks.”

“If the door is nailed shut, and you're 'Leaning In,' you're just going to get bruised and battered.”

“If you continue to plow ahead in something that is OK, you will miss the opportunity to do something that is great.”

“I stayed at Morgan Stanley for 27 years because it was fun. I kept learning.”

“If you're just focused on work, my view is that you'll never get enough back from any organization, no matter how fantastic the role is, and you have to have a full life so that you really get enriched in a lot of different ways, and that can be family and kids. It can be, for others, sports.”

“Solving problems for users at scale ultimately results in monetization opportunities.”

“Growing up in Silicon Valley, during my time at Morgan Stanley and as a member of Stanford's Board, I've had the opportunity to experience firsthand how tech companies can help people in their daily lives.”

“Competition is one click away. Innovation happens everywhere... you better have a culture asking for a voice.”

“The wealth disparity between the lowest and the highest continues to expand, and that's inappropriate.”

“I have not been a believer of point guidance. It really limits your flexibility to do what you want. It leads to behavior that is not supportive of long-term shareholder value.”

“Unless you stay focused on innovation, you can be disintermediated.”

“I view investors as our partners and stakeholders in the company. They are trying to build financial models. What I try to focus on is helping them understand how we think.”

“It's been invigorating being back on the West Coast, being at Alphabet, because there is so much innovation. And the big challenge is, how do you think about resource allocation and priorities when you have so many great options? But wearing jeans instead of suits and popping into driverless cars has also been a lot of fun.”

“The cloud is one of the most extraordinary opportunities of our lifetime. If we're not investing now, we'll rue the day we didn't.”

“Stick to your true north - build greatness for the long term.”