Laszlo Bock
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
Activity
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I suck at endings. I want to pretend like nothing's changed or changing. Just look forward without ever acknowledging what's been or what's about to…
I suck at endings. I want to pretend like nothing's changed or changing. Just look forward without ever acknowledging what's been or what's about to…
Liked by Laszlo Bock
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I know her! I know her! Very proud of the work Julie Cummings Marsh has done, working with the incomparable Maya Enista Smith, on bringing the…
I know her! I know her! Very proud of the work Julie Cummings Marsh has done, working with the incomparable Maya Enista Smith, on bringing the…
Liked by Laszlo Bock
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Big news!!! Proud to join forces with such an iconic product and brand, and looking forward to what we will build together!
Big news!!! Proud to join forces with such an iconic product and brand, and looking forward to what we will build together!
Liked by Laszlo Bock
Experience
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Co-Founder and Co-Faculty Director of the Berkeley Transformative CHRO Academy
University of California, Berkeley
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Investor, Coach and Producer
n/a
Education
Volunteer Experience
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Commissioner
The Aspen Institute
- 2 years
Education
Final report of the National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development:
Skills
Publications
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Excerpt from WORK RULES!
Wired Magazine
Excerpt from my book entitled "Here's Google's Secret to Hiring the Best People"
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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. -
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.
Honors & Awards
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Top 100 HR Influencers
HR Executive Magazine
http://hrexecutive.com/top-100/
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Best Leadership Books of All Time
BookAuthority.org
https://bookauthority.org/books/best-leadership-books?t=46ri8q&s=author&book=1455554790
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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
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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
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Best Books of 2015
Inc. Magazine
http://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/the-100-best-business-books-of-2015.html
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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
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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/
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Top 10 Creative Leadership Books of 2015
Forbes
http://www.forbes.com/sites/berlinschoolofcreativeleadership/2015/12/11/top-10-creative-leadership-books-of-2015/
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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
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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
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5 Books Your Boss Wishes You Would Read
SimplyHired
http://blog.simplyhired.com/jobsearch/career/books-improve-your-career/
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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
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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
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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/
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26 Books Every Recruiter Should Read
Entelo
http://blog.entelo.com/26-books-every-recruiter-should-read
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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."
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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/
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Fellow, National Academy of Human Resources
http://www.nationalacademyhr.org/fellowsdirectory
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HR Executive of the Year
http://www.hreonline.com/HRE/view/story.jhtml?id=533322196
More activity by Laszlo
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Big exciting announcement: I’m excited to share that I’ve signed the agreement for Grammarly to acquire Coda! And I’m honored to lead the combined…
Big exciting announcement: I’m excited to share that I’ve signed the agreement for Grammarly to acquire Coda! And I’m honored to lead the combined…
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It's SHOCKING to see a slide from Ilya Sutskever's talk at #NeurIPS being completely misrepresented all over social. In that slide, Ilya points out…
It's SHOCKING to see a slide from Ilya Sutskever's talk at #NeurIPS being completely misrepresented all over social. In that slide, Ilya points out…
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On CNBC Squawkbox today, Henry Ajder of Latent Space Advisors discussed the growing role of synthetic data in AI, noting that while progress may slow…
On CNBC Squawkbox today, Henry Ajder of Latent Space Advisors discussed the growing role of synthetic data in AI, noting that while progress may slow…
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I am looking forward to working with Cynthia Williams and her team, and the rest of the board at Funko. https://lnkd.in/e7-7s9sW
I am looking forward to working with Cynthia Williams and her team, and the rest of the board at Funko. https://lnkd.in/e7-7s9sW
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