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Lots of companies don’t succeed over time. What do they fundamentally do wrong? They usually miss the future. I try to focus on that: What is the future really going to be? And how do we create it? And how do we power our organization to really focus on that and really drive it at a high rate? When I was working on Android, I felt guilty. It wasn’t what we were working on, it was a start-up, and I felt guilty. That was stupid! It was the future.
Larry Page
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote emphasizes the importance of anticipating the future for long-term success in business.

Larry Page reflects on the need for companies to embrace and prepare for the future to ensure their success over time. He suggests that many organizations fail because they lose sight of future opportunities and underscores the necessity of driving focus and innovation within teams to create and shape the future, citing his experience with Android as an example of working on a forward-thinking project despite feelings of guilt about its status.

Themes

FutureSuccessInnovationBusinessLeadership

In practice

Example use cases

In a business seminar discussing the importance of innovation, this quote could illustrate the necessity of forward-thinking.

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