How much does Google's corporate culture (e.g., flat management, data-driven decision-making) contribute to its success?

It can be said that Google's corporate culture is not merely the icing on the cake for its current success, but rather its core foundation and engine. The contribution of this culture to its success is decisive, far more than just "somewhat helpful."

Let's talk in plain language about why these two points are so powerful:

1. Flat Management: Letting Information Travel Like a "Frisbee," Not "Climbing Stairs"

Imagine a traditional company, like a pyramid. You're an entry-level employee with a brilliant idea that you want the top boss to know. You first have to tell your team lead, who then tells the department manager, who then tells the director... By the time your idea climbs to the top of the pyramid, it might have already been distorted, or simply died along the way. This is "climbing stairs"—slow, exhausting, and prone to errors.

In its early days, Google was like a huge open-plan office, or perhaps a flat pancake. Everyone was on the same plane. Although there were leaders, the hierarchical layers were very few. A freshly graduated engineer could run into founder Larry Page in the cafeteria and chat with him about their ideas.

What benefits did this bring?

• Speed and Efficiency: Good ideas could be heard, discussed, and executed at the fastest possible speed. In the fast-changing internet industry, speed is life. While competitors were still holding endless meetings and going through layers of approval, Google might have already built a product prototype. Many highly successful projects like Gmail and Google Maps originated from engineers' small ideas during their "20% free time," and this environment allowed these ideas to flourish rapidly.
• Inspiring Creativity: When you feel that you are not an insignificant person, that your voice can be heard, and that your work can make an impact, your enthusiasm and creativity are greatly stimulated. This attracted the smartest and most ambitious talents from around the world, because here they felt respected and could do "cool" things, instead of just writing reports all day and trying to please superiors.

Simply put, flat management established a "highway network" within the company, allowing valuable information and ideas to flow freely and quickly, rather than getting stuck in traffic on "country roads."

2. Data-Driven Decision Making: Relying on "Evidence," Not "I Feel"

This is also easy to understand. Imagine your family deciding what to have for dinner. The traditional approach might be to listen to the loudest person in the family, or the highest-ranking "head of the household." If they say noodles, then it's noodles, even if others might prefer rice. This is "experience-based decision-making" or "power-based decision-making."

Data-driven decision-making is like this: before deciding, conduct a small survey. The results show that four out of five family members had noodles yesterday and want rice today; furthermore, the data indicates that rice paired with a certain dish yields the highest satisfaction. So, everyone decides to have rice tonight.

Google took this approach to the extreme.

• Product Design: The most famous example is that Google once tested 41 different shades of blue to determine the color of the search result links! They showed one group of users one shade of blue and another group a different shade, then observed which blue had a higher click-through rate. The "most profitable blue" ultimately chosen is said to add hundreds of millions of dollars in ad revenue to the company annually. This might sound exaggerated, but it reflects a spirit: for any decision, big or small, they strive to find data to support it, rather than relying on the personal preference of some big shot.
• Reducing Internal Friction: In a company, the biggest fear is when "everyone has a point," leading to endless arguments, and ultimately, the person with the higher position usually wins. But before data, everyone is equal. No matter how high your title, if the data shows your plan isn't working, it has to change. This allows teams to focus their energy on "how to do things right" rather than "how to win office politics."

In Summary

Flat management addresses the "people" problem; it creates an open, equal, and efficient communication environment, attracting smart people and enabling them to unleash their full potential.

Data-driven decision making addresses the "task/business" problem; it provides a scientific, objective methodology, ensuring that the company makes the right decisions with the highest probability and minimizes errors when making various choices.

These two elements combined are like equipping a supercar with both the top-tier engine (talent and creativity) and the most precise navigation system (data-driven decisions). It not only runs fast but always runs in the right direction.

Of course, as Google grew into a behemoth with hundreds of thousands of employees, complete "flatness" is no longer possible, and hierarchical layers have also increased. However, the genes of this culture are deeply embedded in the company. It has allowed Google to consistently maintain strong innovation capabilities and competitiveness as it transformed from a search engine company into a leading tech giant in multiple fields such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and autonomous driving.

Therefore, its contribution is fundamental. Without this culture, the Google we see today might be a completely different, and perhaps not as successful, company.