How Google nailed innovation in the mid-2000s | Vaughn Tan, University College London

Searching for Mana with Lloyd Wahed

Mana Labs Co-Founder Mimi Nguyen is in the host's seat this week as she discusses product innovation with University College London's Vaughn Tan.

And Vaughn has a unique perspective on the subject. In 2005, he joined Google as a Product Marketing Manager and later worked on projects such as AdWords and Google Maps. Since then, he's become a leading voice on innovation in the culinary sector, advising organisations like the Wellcome Collection and becoming an Assistant Professor at UCL.

Mimi and Vaughn discuss how Vaughn joined Google without a computer science degree, the leadership skills he learned at Mountain View, and why restaurants are great models for innovation. Plus, Vaughn tells us what companies can learn from messenger RNA and how to embrace uncertainty when hiring.

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Check out Vaughn's new book, The Uncertainty Mindset

Episode Highlights:

05:24: The innovative way Google approached product

10:25: How to lead without institutional authority

14:20: How efficiency can be the enemy of success

19:00: Spurring creative collaboration in the age of remote working

23:15: Restaurants as biomes for innovation

27:24: The lessons FinTech companies can learn from kitchens

33:23: How to hire with an uncertainty mindset

40:36: The one trait that has helped Vaughn succeed

42:49: What's next for Vaughn