How a 3 am email helped Android head Sameer Samat land a job at Google
Google’s head of Android, Sameer Samat, credits a middle-of-the-night cold email to Google cofounder Sergey Brin in 1999 as the pivotal moment that shaped his entire career trajectory. The impromptu message, sent at 3 AM during a heated dispute with his startup cofounders about pursuing graduate school, led to an immediate job offer and long-term mentorship that would eventually bring him to lead one of the world’s most influential mobile platforms.“A couple of them were on to go to grad school, and we had a big fight about it,” Samat told Business Insider. “I said, ‘I don’t understand how you can want to go to grad school; we’re building this company.'”Samat, then in his early 20s running a machine-learning startup called Mohomine during the dot-com boom, reached out to Brin asking: “What would you do in this situation? I’m sure you had this wrestle with this grad school decision.” Despite not knowing Brin personally, Samat had studied his research papers and respected Google’s work. Remarkably, Brin responded within minutes, inviting Samat to Google’s offices for an impromptu interview that same day.
How Google co-founder helped even after rejecting Brin’s offer
Though Samat declined Brin’s initial job offer to stay loyal to his cofounders, the Google cofounder went above and beyond to help. “He didn’t have to do any of that,” Samat told Business Insider. “And so I try to pay that forward, too, when people call me up with something similar.”Brin advised Samat on securing proper financing and introduced him to investors who eventually funded his startup. According to Business Insider, Samat later sold Mohomine to Kofax, now known as Tungsten Automation, before joining Google in 2008.The experience taught Samat valuable lessons about operating with limited resources as a founder, skills that proved crucial when he eventually joined Google. “There is no substitute for taking a pretty good plan and just running like hell,” he explained. He initially led Google Shopping before transitioning to oversee the Android ecosystem.
CEO Sundar Pichai’s personal call brought Samat back to Google
After leaving Google in 2015, Samat received a personal call from newly appointed CEO Sundar Pichai asking him to return. Pichai, whom Samat described as a “work big brother” and trusted advisor, specifically requested his help with Android and Google Play.“When he asked if I would come back to work with him on Android and Google Play, it was an easy decision,” Samat said. “It was a call that you don’t get often in” your career.Today, Samat advocates for entrepreneurial risk-taking over extensive academic preparation. “Sometimes the naiveness of someone who doesn’t have that background makes a much better entrepreneur,” he said, noting that the decision to “do your own thing” and follow what excites you is most important.
