Sergey Brin, Google co-founder (Photo : Reuters)
A new book about Google reveals that in 2002 co-founder Sergey Brin asked a lawyer applicant to write a contract to sell his soul to the devil. The applicant was stunned, yet passed the unique test with flying colors.
Harvard graduate Alissa Lee completed the task within 30 minutes, and then was hired. She continued to work at Google for seven years.
The search engine giant has become famous for searching for new workers who are "smart creatives." It once included brainteaser questions during job interviews such as how much an applicant would charge to wash all of Seattle's windows, or how many cows live in Canada, according to Yahoo.
Google is interested in hiring people who are not only tech-savvy, but also clever and innovative. The story about the contract with the devil is included in Ken Auletta's new book: "Googled: The End of the World As We Know It."
Founded 1998 by Brin and Larry Page, during Google's company's first five years at least one co-founder was present in each job interview, according to Business Insider. Brin gave Lee the unorthodox question to test her technical skills.
Lee was so shocked by the "surreal" strangeness of the question that she forgot to ask Brin for details about the assignment. She recalls that the Google Internet entrepreneur was looking for someone who could handle a "curveball."
Brin's interview question was actually a "curveball" on multiple levels. While he had asked Lee to write a fake contract with the devil during her interview, ironically Google's motto is: "Don't be evil." Still, in all fairness the contract was not legally binding in a court of law.
