How does Google do it?

Over the last two years, Google has lured some of the best and brightest minds in technology and science to join the search giant's lava lamp and snack-filled offices.

They include an award-winning physician, a pioneer of the Internet, the head of Amazon.com's A9 search unit, the former head of Microsoft's research group in China and an ex-top Windows architect.

If there's a master plan in recruiting all this top talent beyond the obvious benefit of having all that intelligence under the same figurative roof, Google isn't saying.

But the eclectic combination of world-class programmers, computer networking pioneers and even a famous epidemiologist who helped eradicate smallpox in India does offer insight into the strategic planning of Google's so-called leadership triumvirate of co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page and chief executive Eric Schmidt. The new hires of Google's deepening talent pool make it apparent that they want to keep pushing the envelope on software and computer networking technology while expanding the business into China and, despite recent criticism, maintaining a laudable philanthropic attitude.

"They are basically like Microsoft was 15 years ago. People want to go there because it is the way it used to be," said Stephen Arnold, reiterating a refrain from his book The Google Legacy.  "They are identifying high-profile people who are influential centres and hiring them easily because Google is a magnet for talent."

As Arnold points out, it's not terribly difficult to figure out how Google is luring these big names. Despite its recent plunge, Google still has a stock price topping $370 (£210) a share, $8bn in cash to spend, and a huge customer base. That's just the start. With a "20 percent time" policy for time set aside to allow engineers to work on pet projects, perks including free gourmet meals, and a reputation for being the best incubator for geeky projects since the days of Xerox's PARC, it's no surprise Google can hand-pick tech stars.

"Some of the hires are already successful and perhaps well-off, and are going to Google because they see it as a place where they can continue to make a mark. When you helped architect the Internet already, what do you do next?" said Danny Sullivan, editor of Search Engine Watch.

One the boldest hires and biggest names was Vint Cerf, who was one of those Internet architects. Google landed him in September 2005. Cerf, who co-designed TCP/IP, was hired to help Google develop architectures and standards for next-generation applications, the company said at the time. He is also working on a new set of communication protocols meant to be used in deep space for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory aimed at creating an Internet communications connection between planets.

Last week, Google announced another top science hire, Dr Larry Brilliant. He will be executive director of Google.org, the philanthropic arm of the company that is investing more than $7m on issues related to global poverty, health, energy and the environment. Brilliant is an award-winning physician, friend of '60s icon Wavy Gravy, and an epidemiologist who spent more than a decade in India and, by the way, was also co-founder of the pioneering online community known as The Well.

Google said no executives were available to discuss Google's hiring strategy for this story on Friday. The firm declined to comment beyond this statement: "We are proud to have such a world-class staff at Google."

Andy Hertzfeld, who worked on Apple's original Macintosh development team and was hired by Google in August 2005, said the potential for changing the world is what attracted him to the Mountain View, California, company.

"Google is tremendous for users and customers. Google is a fantastic company that's doing a lot of good in the world, and I wanted to help them out," he said. Hertzfeld's title is software engineer. He said he's working on "various projects I'm not at liberty to discuss."

His hiring and that of a few others have led some observers to feverishly speculate that Google is developing an operating system that would compete...

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