I'm delighted to be returning to my California roots and joining Google.
— Ruth Porat
Since 1987, there are now many more of us as at the higher levels with families, so I think, as role models, we are encouraging more women to stay within banking and rise up through the ranks.
I think what Sheryl Sandberg said about the importance of 'leaning in' is very true, but it's not sufficient.
The most important thing is culture.
If you continue to plow ahead in something that is OK, you will miss the opportunity to do something that is great.
If the door is nailed shut, and you're 'Leaning In,' you're just going to get bruised and battered.
Unless you stay focused on innovation, you can be disintermediated.
The wealth disparity between the lowest and the highest continues to expand, and that's inappropriate.
When I started, there very few women at the managing director level and very few who had families, which is something that was important to me. So it's not like when I looked up I could say, 'Well, that's who I want to be.'
Liquidity is oxygen for a financial system.
Businesses perform better when you have diversity of view in your senior leadership positions. This is not just the right thing to do socially; it's the right thing to do for your business.
I stayed at Morgan Stanley for 27 years because it was fun. I kept learning.
Women are still not reaching the most senior levels of corporations. This is not the shortcoming of women. We're talented and smart.
Growing up in Silicon Valley, during my time at Morgan Stanley and as a member of Stanford's Board, I've had the opportunity to experience firsthand how tech companies can help people in their daily lives.
When I started, there were very few women at the managing director level and very few who had families, which is something that was important to me. So it's not like, when I looked up, I could say, 'Well, that's who I want to be.'
I remember, the first time it struck me is I was an econ major at Stanford as an undergrad, and it struck me how few women were econ majors back in the '70s. And then in business school how few women... And even then, I thought, 'Gosh, this is really unfortunate.'
Culture is more important than rules and regulations.
We think machine learning, as it relates to healthcare and life sciences, is extraordinary.
You can't cost-cut your way to greatness.
I've had the opportunity to experience firsthand how tech companies can help people in their daily lives.
The wealthiest can afford to pay more in taxes. That's a part of the deal. That makes sense. I don't know anyone that doesn't agree with that.
There are no good options in the midst of a crisis.
Incrementalism in technology leads to irrelevance; what you need is revolutionary change.
I view investors as our partners and stakeholders in the company. They are trying to build financial models. What I try to focus on is helping them understand how we think.
Stick to your true north - build greatness for the long term.
One of the biggest problems women have is they work really hard and put their heads down and assume hard work gets noticed. And hard work for the wrong boss does not get noticed. Hard work for the wrong boss results in one thing - that boss looks terrific, and you get stuck.
Competition is one click away. Innovation happens everywhere... you better have a culture asking for a voice.
It's been invigorating being back on the West Coast, being at Alphabet, because there is so much innovation. And the big challenge is, how do you think about resource allocation and priorities when you have so many great options? But wearing jeans instead of suits and popping into driverless cars has also been a lot of fun.
Innovation happens everywhere.
Recognize that killing a weak idea early is valuable.
The cloud is one of the most extraordinary opportunities of our lifetime. If we're not investing now, we'll rue the day we didn't.
If you're just focused on work, my view is that you'll never get enough back from any organization, no matter how fantastic the role is, and you have to have a full life so that you really get enriched in a lot of different ways, and that can be family and kids. It can be, for others, sports.
Solving problems for users at scale ultimately results in monetization opportunities.
The most valuable thing you can have as a leader is clear data.
If you don't have ample liquidity, and it's not durable, in times of stress, as you're looking for liquidity, you're forced to sell assets at declining prices, which then eats into your capital position, so it becomes this very, very negative cycle. There's no question that liquidity is sacrosanct.
I hate the term 'work-life balance.' I think it's a setup, and it's trap for all of us.
I have not been a believer of point guidance. It really limits your flexibility to do what you want. It leads to behavior that is not supportive of long-term shareholder value.
I have seen too many people in my career think that there is some natural progression to life, with certain career milestones preceding whatever you may want in your personal life. Unfortunately, life doesn't know it is supposed to follow a schedule.
