From dot-com chaos to Google’s rocket ship. Kevin Willer helped establish Google’s Midwest presence in Chicago when “search” wasn’t yet obvious and ad tech was still being pieced together. He scored [email protected], watched the 2004 IPO rewrite his life, sat with the team in NYC on 9/11, and later helped Chicago “plant a flag” with 1871, its startup hub.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• How Google turned every product into a search machine (and why that printed cash)

• Why downturns (dot-com bust, Great Recession) created Google and Uber

• The folklore behind [email protected] and opening Google Chicago

• The IPO moment: from “J-O-B” to choosing meaningful work

• A surreal 9/11 story from inside Google’s business team in Manhattan

• Building 1871 and what it takes to ignite a city’s startup ecosystem

• Real talk on careers: relationships, respect, and timing over pedigree

If you love unfiltered origin stories, hard lessons, and the decisions that change a life — this one’s for you.

👉 If this hit, like, subscribe, and drop a comment with your favorite moment.

#Google #Startups #TechHistory #EarlyEmployees #ChicagoTech #CareerAdvice #1871 #TheEarlyPodcast #EarlyPod

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🎙️ ABOUT THE SHOW:

The Early Podcast is where host Max Crowley, Uber’s #25 employee, sits down with the earliest builders behind today’s most iconic companies. No fluff, just raw stories from the trench years when your startup could still fail tomorrow.

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🚀 New episodes drop every Tuesday. Let’s build this together.

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