Page and Brin are willing to take that chance. There's a consistency and clarity to their vision that constitutes true leadership. Google is based on the twin principles that brains trump brawn and that a democracy always supplants a hierarchy. This democratic impulse forms the very core of Google's technology: The search engine ranks results based on calculations of popularity among the Web's vast community of users. So it goes with the IPO: Google has vested its future in the people, not Wall Street.
Larry and Sergey are not your archetypal courageous leaders. They're gen-X nerds who like to goof around on Segways and Rollerblades. Yet Page and Brin are in the vanguard of a new breed of technocrat kings who are gambling that they can outthink -- and outflank -- the status quo.
Interested in further exploring some of the ideas and issues in this article? Consider starting a Fast Company reading group. Here are some possible conversation catalysts:
Larry Page's and Sergey Brin's choice for an unconventional IPO is perhaps the strongest display of courarge from the dot-com world. If Google's stock flops, will their legacies be as pioneers or as reckless failures? How is it fairing so far? Think of other bold moves by companies regarding financials or new products; how has time treated their boldness?
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