Laszlo Bock

Laszlo Bock Laszlo Bock is an influencer

3x Founder | CEO & Board member | x-Google SVP of People Operations (CHRO) | NYT bestselling author of "Work Rules!"

San Francisco Bay Area
996K followers 500+ connections

About

In 2023, Laszlo co-founded the Berkeley Transformative CHRO Academy, developing the next generation of HR leaders. In 2019, he co-founded Gretel.ai: Gretel's APIs automatically fine-tune AI models to generate accurate and safe synthetic data on demand. In 2017, he co-founded Humu to make work better through machine learning, science, and a little bit of love (acquired in 2023).

Laszlo built and led Google's people function for more than 10 years, as the company grew from a few thousand to almost 75,000 "Googlers" and as revenue grew from $6 billion to $90 billion. During Bock's tenure, Google was named the Best Company to Work For more than 30 times around the world and received over 100 awards as an employer of choice. 150 of his alumni have gone on to become CHROs.

His NYT-bestselling "Work Rules!" has sold more than 750,000 copies, and he has donated 100% of the proceeds to charity.

Articles by Laszlo

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Experience

  • University of California, Berkeley Graphic

    Co-Founder and Co-Faculty Director of the Berkeley Transformative CHRO Academy

    University of California, Berkeley

    - Present 8 months

    Berkeley, California, United States

    Developing the next generation of Transformative CHROs

  • Stanford, Center For Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences Graphic

    Member Board of Directors

    Stanford, Center For Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences

    - Present 3 months

    CASBS @ Stanford brings together deep thinkers from diverse disciplines and communities to advance understanding of the full range of human beliefs, behaviors, interactions, and institutions. A leading incubator of human-centered knowledge, CASBS facilitates collaborations across academia, policy, industry, civil society, and government to collectively design a better future.

  • General Catalyst Graphic

    Senior Advisor

    General Catalyst

    - Present 1 year 1 month

  • Gretel Inc Graphic

    Co-Founder and Board Member

    Gretel Inc

    - Present 5 years 5 months

    The synthetic data platform for developers.
    Generate artificial datasets with the same characteristics as real data, so you can develop and test AI models without compromising privacy.

  • Investor, Coach and Producer

    n/a

    - Present 8 years

    TECHNOLOGY
    Addepar (unicorn) - Empowering investment professionals
    BetterUp (unicorn) - The better coaching platform
    Carbon (unicorn) - Making radically better products
    Coda (unicorn) - Your all-in-one collaborative workspace
    Ceramic.ai - Stealth
    Collective Health (unicorn) - The modern TPA solution
    Color (unicorn) - Take control of cancer
    Draftwise - AI built for lawyers
    Halo - Saving lives with early disease detection
    Maven Clinic (unicorn) - The next generation…

    TECHNOLOGY
    Addepar (unicorn) - Empowering investment professionals
    BetterUp (unicorn) - The better coaching platform
    Carbon (unicorn) - Making radically better products
    Coda (unicorn) - Your all-in-one collaborative workspace
    Ceramic.ai - Stealth
    Collective Health (unicorn) - The modern TPA solution
    Color (unicorn) - Take control of cancer
    Draftwise - AI built for lawyers
    Halo - Saving lives with early disease detection
    Maven Clinic (unicorn) - The next generation of care for women
    Multiverse (unicorn) - Transform your workforce
    Ninjatech - Personal AI with multi-agent autonomy - 1M MAUs within two months!
    Seekout (unicorn) - AI recruiting
    Thatch.ai - Better health benefits for less money
    Thumbtack (unicorn) - Caring for your home, made easy

    Exits include: Affectiva (acquired), Agilone (acquired), Evolv (acquired), Guardant Health (IPO), Neeva (acquired by Snowflake), Taboola (IPO) and Uber (IPO)

    FILM AND THEATER
    & Juliet (Tony Award winner)
    Almost Famous (Executive Producer - Tony Award nominated)
    Days of Wine and Roses (Executive Producer - Tony Award nominated)
    Folk (forthcoming)
    Gaucho Gaucho (Executive Producer - Sundance Award winner; Locarno Film Festival Award winner)
    Rapino (Executive Producer - forthcoming)
    The Night Disco Died (forthcoming)
    The Notebook (Executive Producer - Tony Award nominated)

  • Humu Graphic

    Co-Founder, CEO and Board Chair

    Humu

    - 5 years 4 months

    Acquired by Perceptyx in 2023. $110M raised through series C.

    Making work better for everyone, everywhere. Our Nudge Engine™ technology transforms organizations at scale using small, personal steps based on science, machine learning, and a little bit of love.

  • Heidrick & Struggles Graphic

    Board Member and Chair, HR and Compensation Committee

    Heidrick & Struggles

    - 2 years 2 months

  • Generation Investment Management Graphic

    Advisory Board Member

    Generation Investment Management

    - 4 years

    Greater London, England, United Kingdom

    Co-founded by Vice President Al Gore, our vision is a sustainable world in which prosperity is shared broadly, in a society that achieves wellbeing for all, protects nature and preserves a habitable climate.

  • Google Graphic

    SVP, People Operations (CHRO) / Executive Committee Member

    Google

    - 10 years 10 months

    First head of People Operations for Google/Alphabet

  • Hachette Book Group Graphic

    Author, WORK RULES!

    Hachette Book Group

    - 1 year

    Required textbook at Stanford, Harvard, Berkeley, USC, Berklee and other universities
    100% of book income donated to charity
    "A bold, inspiring, and actionable vision that will transform the future of work. It should be mandatory reading for everyone who leads, manages, or has a job."―Adam Grant
    "A dazzling revelation: at once an all-access backstage pass to one of the smartest organizations on the planet, and also an immensely useful blueprint for creating a culture of…

    Required textbook at Stanford, Harvard, Berkeley, USC, Berklee and other universities
    100% of book income donated to charity
    "A bold, inspiring, and actionable vision that will transform the future of work. It should be mandatory reading for everyone who leads, manages, or has a job."―Adam Grant
    "A dazzling revelation: at once an all-access backstage pass to one of the smartest organizations on the planet, and also an immensely useful blueprint for creating a culture of creativity."―Dan Coyle, author of The Talent Code
    "A remarkable book that reveals the secrets of becoming a talent powerhouse. He shows the many benefits of a high freedom culture with a mission that matters."―Dan Pink, author of Drive and To Sell Is Human

  • GE Graphic

    VP, Human Resources

    GE

    - 3 years

  • McKinsey & Company Graphic

    Management Consultant

    McKinsey & Company

    - 4 years

Education

Volunteer Experience

Skills

Publications

  • Excerpt from WORK RULES!

    Wired Magazine

    Excerpt from my book entitled "Here's Google's Secret to Hiring the Best People"

    See publication
  • WORK RULES! Insights from Inside Google That Will Transform How You Live and Lead

    Twelve Books, a division of Hachette Book Group

    Publication date: April 7, 2015 Available for pre-order now (http://amzn.to/1z6DljS). Named one of the top 15 upcoming business books of 2015 (http://read.bi/1ykl5mS).

    "We spend more time working than doing anything else in life. It's not right that the experience of work should be so demotivating and dehumanizing." So says Laszlo Bock, head of People Operations at the company that transformed how the world interacts with knowledge. This insight is the heart of WORK RULES!, a compelling…

    Publication date: April 7, 2015 Available for pre-order now (http://amzn.to/1z6DljS). Named one of the top 15 upcoming business books of 2015 (http://read.bi/1ykl5mS).

    "We spend more time working than doing anything else in life. It's not right that the experience of work should be so demotivating and dehumanizing." So says Laszlo Bock, head of People Operations at the company that transformed how the world interacts with knowledge. This insight is the heart of WORK RULES!, a compelling and surprisingly playful manifesto with the potential to change how we work and live.

    Drawing on the latest research in behavioral economics and with a profound grasp of human psychology, Bock also provides teaching examples from a range of industries — including companies that are household names but hideous places to work, and little-known companies that achieve spectacular results by valuing and listening to their employees. Bock takes us inside one of history's most explosively successful businesses to reveal why Google is consistently rated one of the best places to work in the world, distilling 15 years of intensive worker R&D into delightfully counterintuitive principles that are easy to put into action, whether you're a team of one or a team of thousands.

    Lessons from WORK RULES! include:

    * Take away managers' power over employees
    * Only hire people who are smarter than you are, no matter how long it takes to find them
    * Pay unfairly (it's more fair!)
    * Don't trust your gut: use data to predict and shape the future
    * Default to open: be transparent, and welcome feedback
    * If you're comfortable with the amount of freedom you've given your employees, you haven't gone far enough

    WORK RULES! shows how to strike a balance between creativity and structure, leading to success you can measure in quality of life as well as market share. Read it to build a better company from within rather than from above; read it to reawaken your joy in what you do.

    See publication
  • Excerpt from WORK RULES!

    Fortune Magazine

    Excerpt from my book entitled "Google’s 10 things to transform your team and your workplace." This issue of Fortune also announces Google as the "#1 Best Company to Work for" for the 6th time.

    See publication

Honors & Awards

  • Top 100 HR Influencers

    HR Executive Magazine

    http://hrexecutive.com/top-100/

  • Best Leadership Books of All Time

    BookAuthority.org

    https://bookauthority.org/books/best-leadership-books?t=46ri8q&s=author&book=1455554790

  • Entrepreneur's 9 Must Read Books

    Entrepreneur.com

    "From an Elon Musk Bio to Malcolm Gladwell's 'Blink', These 9 Books Are Must-Reads"
    http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/271992

  • #1 Best Translated Book in Japan

    Japanese Editors and Translators

  • 20 Best Business Books of the Year

    Business Insider, UK

    http://uk.businessinsider.com/the-best-business-books-of-2015-2015-12?sf17803043=1%3Fr%3DUS&IR=T

  • Best Books of 2015

    Inc. Magazine

    http://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/the-100-best-business-books-of-2015.html

  • Best Business Books of the Year - 2015

    Matthew Bishop, Senior Editor of The Economist Group

    https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/best-business-books-2015-matthew-bishop

  • Book of the Year

    The Globe and Mail

    http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/careers/management/top-10-leadership-and-management-books-of-2015/article27767344/

  • Top 10 Creative Leadership Books of 2015

    Forbes

    http://www.forbes.com/sites/berlinschoolofcreativeleadership/2015/12/11/top-10-creative-leadership-books-of-2015/

  • Top 10 Business Books of the Year

    Amazon.com

    http://www.amazon.com/b/ref=s9_acss_bw_cg_boty15_2d1?_encoding=UTF8&node=13127709011&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-5&pf_rd_r=0C9SAE0ANT94BX1NCHTG&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=2272542322&pf_rd_i=13108091011

  • Top 50 Leadership Innovators

    Inc.

    http://www.inc.com/shawn-murphy/today-s-top-50-leadership-innovators-changing-how-we-lead.html?cid=sf01001&sr_share=twitter&utm_content=bufferbdd27&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

  • 5 Books Your Boss Wishes You Would Read

    SimplyHired

    http://blog.simplyhired.com/jobsearch/career/books-improve-your-career/

  • 10 Trechos Dos Melhores Livros de Negocios de 2015

    Epoca Negocios

    10 Passages from the Best Business Books of 2015 (Portuguese)
    http://epocanegocios.globo.com/Inspiracao/Carreira/noticia/2015/03/10-trechos-dos-melhores-livros-de-negocios-de-2015.html

  • 17 Livres pour Penser la Transformation Numérique du Travail

    L'Usine Digital

    17 Books for Thinking about the Digital Transformation of Work (French)
    http://www.usine-digitale.fr/editorial/17-livres-et-autres-medias-pour-penser-la-transformation-numerique-du-travail.N321548

  • Amazon Editors' Pick of the Month

    Amazon.com

    Best Business & Leadership Book
    http://www.amazon.com/Best-Books-of-the-Month/b/ref=sv_b_8?ie=UTF8&node=390919011

  • New York Times Bestseller

    New York Times

    http://www.nytimes.com/best-sellers-books/advice-how-to-and-miscellaneous/list.html

  • Publishers Weekly Bestseller

    Publishers Weekly

    #7 Bestselling Hardcover Nonfiction
    http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/nielsen/HardcoverNonfiction.html?utm_source=Publishers+Weekly&utm_campaign=28ab4fa4a4-UA-15906914-1&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_0bb2959cbb-28ab4fa4a4-304644717

  • Wall Street Journal Bestseller

    Wall Street Journal

    #3 Bestelling Hardcover Business Book
    #9 Bestselling Overall Hardcover Book
    http://www.wsj.com/articles/best-selling-books-week-ended-april-12-1429211261

  • Best Business Books of 2015

    Inc.

    http://www.inc.com/john-brandon/10-quotes-from-the-best-business-books-of-2015-so-far.html

  • HR Professional of the Decade

    ERE.net

    http://www.ere.net/2015/03/30/revealing-the-hr-professional-of-the-decade-laszlo-bock-of-google/

  • 26 Books Every Recruiter Should Read

    Entelo

    http://blog.entelo.com/26-books-every-recruiter-should-read

  • New Books for Creative Leaders to Read to Start 2015

    Berlin School of Creative Leadership

    http://www.berlin-school.com/news-media/blogs/blogentry/new-books-for-creative-leaders-to-read-to-start-2015/
    The much-anticipated exploration of new ways of thinking about and behaving at work from the longtime head of Google’s ‘People Operations.’ The result is a manifesto on how to approach work differently in order to attract and grow the best talent – and, in the process for leaders, to grow themselves.

  • 10 New Books We'll Be Reading this Year

    Fast Company

    http://www.fastcompany.com/3040972/10-new-books-well-be-reading-this-year
    "[U]nconventional and counterintuitive lessons such as taking away managers’ power over employees, why you should pay unfairly, and going beyond your comfort zone when it comes to the freedom you give your team. ' ... It’s not right that the experience of work should be so demotivating and dehumanizing,' Bock says. Right on."

  • 6 Books that Could Benefit Your Business in 2015

    BT Business

    http://www.insight.bt.com/en/features/2015-book-recommendations
    "WORK RULES! isn’t the first book to shine a light on Google’s hugely successful corporate culture, but it’s the first in-depth look from right inside the company. Indeed, it’s straight from the horse’s mouth: Laszlo Bock is head of Google's people operations .... Why read it? Because it pays to make your company a place that people want to work."

  • Editor's Pick: Top Business Books to Read in 2015

    The Telegraph

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/businessclub/11344474/Top-business-books-to-read-in-2015.html
    "Google says it receives 1.5m job applications a year. Here, the tech giant's head of 'People Operations' explains why. Laszlo Bock reveals Google's HR secrets to creating a happy workforce and attracting the world's brightest candidates."

  • Publisher's Weekly Top 10: Business & Economics

    Publisher's Weekly

    http://publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/new-titles/adult-announcements/article/65381-spring-2015-announcements-business-economics-turning-the-corner.html
    "Anecdotes about Google’s founding and history mingle with discussions of management theory, psychology, and behavioral economics to create a fascinating and accessible read."

  • The 15 New Books to Read in 2015

    Huffington Post

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/adam-grant/the-15-new-books-to-read_b_6428688.html
    "It's a captivating, data-driven book on achieving sustainable productivity, remarkable innovation, and a genuine sense of community--and an inspiring, actionable vision for transforming the future of work."

  • Top Business Books to Read in 2015

    Life of an Entrepreneur

    https://entrepreneurseries.wordpress.com/tag/work-rules-laszlo-bock/
    "Imagine being the HR manager for one of the best companies to work for in the world? How much pressure would you have...? .... Then after that you have to learn how to create an environment that encourages people to grow and increase productivity, all of which can be challenge, but brought together in this richly packed book of data examples."

  • 15 of the Best Business Books Coming Out in 2015

    Business Insider

    http://www.businessinsider.com/best-business-books-of-2015-2014-12#work-rules-insights-from-inside-google-that-will-transform-how-you-live-and-lead-11
    "Google has developed a sterling reputation as one of the best places in the world to work, and a good deal of that is due to the efforts of Laszlo Bock, the company's head of People Operations, which is essentially human resources. With the help of recent studies in behavioral economics and psychology, he breaks down the management and office…

    http://www.businessinsider.com/best-business-books-of-2015-2014-12#work-rules-insights-from-inside-google-that-will-transform-how-you-live-and-lead-11
    "Google has developed a sterling reputation as one of the best places in the world to work, and a good deal of that is due to the efforts of Laszlo Bock, the company's head of People Operations, which is essentially human resources. With the help of recent studies in behavioral economics and psychology, he breaks down the management and office culture principles that make Google a powerful company with happy employees."

  • Editor's Pick: 12 Leadership Books to Watch for in 2015

    The Washington Post

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/on-leadership/wp/2014/12/04/wp/2014/22/04/12-leadership-books-to-watch-for-in-2015/
    "Bock runs a department that’s been described as 'more like a rigorous science lab than the pesky hall monitor most of us picture when we think of H.R.' Bock’s new book examines what he has learned managing H.R. at one of the most generous — and also most data-driven — companies for workers, as well as what is and isn't successful at other places."

  • Library Journal Preview

    Library Journal

    http://reviews.libraryjournal.com/2014/10/prepub/nonfiction-previews/business-science-social-science-nonfiction-previews-apr-2015-pt-4/
    "Billed as LEAN IN for every manager, this is good guidance from the head of Google’s innovative People Operations, who wants to show companies how to attract and keep the best managers. His tips might unsettle .... Love the read-it-two-ways title; with a 200,000-copy first printing."

  • 10 Most Influential HR Practitioners

    https://www.smartrecruiters.com/blog/the-10-most-influential-hr-practitioners/

  • Fellow, National Academy of Human Resources

    http://www.nationalacademyhr.org/fellowsdirectory

  • HR Executive of the Year

    http://www.hreonline.com/HRE/view/story.jhtml?id=533322196

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