Great interview; great point:

The switch in coming to Google is in applying that thinking with much greater resources, stepping up your game. I used to think in terms of helping 10 million users. At Google we're trying to create products for a billion users. It changes the types of things you go after and the scale you can put to them.

TIL: Google Acquisitions close with 96% of companies they sign a term sheet with.

I liked this part of the interview:

There are lots of companies that I love that Google hasn't bought. I think they're doing something really interesting, maybe I use their product. Sometimes that's how it stays, sometimes it changes, because they become of interest or Google becomes of interest to them.

So it's all about being in the right business at the right time.

Timing is very very important. Google has to be in a place where they really see it as an imperative. it has to be so important that people drop what they're doing and re-prioritize their time to this. The acquired company has to come to a point where they really can see a vision of what Google can do in this space that exceeds what they think they can do on their own. Otherwise there's lots of money out there, they can continue to raise capital.

Like most things in life, timing counts for a lot.

See also: How to Get Acquired by Google, by Chris Taylor...

My favorite part:

So what does it take to impress Lawee? Well, for one thing, being lucky enough to have a startup that covers a particular area of tech Google is curious about right now (and naturally keeps close to its chest).

"It's like a giant puzzle," Lawee told Mashable, "and we're looking for the missing pieces."

"We're trying to find entrepreneurs who are thinking of it as another stage in the company," he said. "We're counting on people to come to Google and take advantage of the opportunity. The product is the star of the show."

The product is the star of the show.