Laszlo Bock

American businessman

Laszlo Bock
Laszlo Bock in 2014
Nationality	American
Alma mater	Pomona College (BA), Yale School of Management, MBA^[1]
Known for	Former Senior Vice President of People Operations at Google
Notable work	Work Rules!: Insights from Inside Google That Will Transform How You Live and Lead

Laszlo Bock is a Romanian-born Hungarian American^[2] businessman, who is co-founder and former CEO of Humu.^[3] He was formerly the Senior Vice President of People Operations at Google, Inc.^[4]

Early life and career

He was born in 1972 in Romania to ethnic Hungarian parents.^[5]

Prior to joining Google, Bock served in executive roles ^[which?] at General Electric, as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company, and in various roles at startups, nonprofits, and in acting. During his time at Google^{[citation needed]}, the company has been named the Best Company to Work for over 30 times around the world and received over 100 awards as a top employer.^[6] In 2010, Bock was named "Human Resources Executive of the Year" by HR Resources Magazine.^[7] He resigned his position at Google in 2016, though stayed on as an adviser to CEO Sundar Pichai.^[8]

On April 7, 2015, Bock published his first book, The New York Times bestseller^[9] and Wall Street Journal bestseller,^[10] Work Rules!, a practical guide to help people find meaning in work and improve the way they live and lead.^[11] He has been on several book tours around the world, often accompanied by his family. In addition to his own published works, Bock also wrote the foreword to Knaflic, Cole Nussbaumer (2 November 2015). Storytelling with Data: A Data Visualization Guide for Business Professionals. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 9781119002253.

Humu Inc

Laszlo Bock along with two former Google executives Wayne Crosby and Jessie Wisdom founded Humu,^[12] a startup devoted to making work more beneficial for people in different industries. Their main objective of the company is to employ Behavioral Change Technology in ensuring that employees are happier in their jobs. The technology has become popular because it establishes a viable technique to increase adoption of positive modifications in behavior.^[13] The company’s strategies are anchored on novel innovations in machine erudition and many years of conducting scientific research on human behavior. Current customers include Silicon Valley Bank, Farfetch, Ecolab, and American fast casual restaurant chain Sweetgreen.^[14]

Humu's mission statement is “Making work better everywhere through machine learning, science, and a little bit of love”.^[15] This is confirmed in the company's public materials and website. The company also built the Nudge Engine, a tool that identifies what changes need to happen where, and delivers tiny, scientifically-based interventions called nudges.^[16]

Business Insider was able to interview Bock and Crosby regarding the hiring process at Humu. The co-founders pointed out one quality that makes a certain candidate more prominent and that is the capability to convey his or her own story. This trait is just as essential as technical proficiency. Applicants get the chance to present their personal history and experiences to the interviewer.^[17]

In August 2023, Humu was acquired by Perceptyx.

References

^ Laszlo Bock '99, VP People Operations, Google
^ "Building a New Breed". Archived from the original on 2016-03-27.
^ "Company". www.humu.com. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
^ "Management team – Company – Google". Retrieved 2015-05-04.
^ "Building a New Breed". Archived from the original on 2016-03-27.
^ "Work Rules!: A new book of insights from Google's Laszlo Bock that will transform how you live and lead". Archived from the original on April 21, 2015. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
^ "Google's Laszlo Bock Named 2010 HR Executive of the Year". Marketwired.com. 2010-10-01. Retrieved 2015-05-04.
^ D'Onfro, Jillian. "The man who molded Google's culture over the last 10 years just stepped down". Business Insider. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
^ Taylor, Ihsan. "Best Sellers - The New York Times". The New York Times. Retrieved 2015-05-04.
^ Bock, Laszlo (2015-04-07). Work Rules!: Insights from Inside Google That Will Transform How You Live and Lead. Grand Central Publishing. ISBN 9781455554805.
^ Work Rules!. Hachettebookgroup.com. 7 April 2015. ISBN 9781455554799. Retrieved 2015-05-04.
^ "Human Resources Artificial Intelligence Humu".^{[dead link]}
^ "Developing Effective Behavioral Change Technology - Productive Edge Blog". Productive Edge Blog. 2015-04-09. Retrieved 2018-05-27.
^ "Humu Launches Business Edition, Making Effective Teamwork a Habit For Mid-Sized Businesses". finance.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
^ Valet, Vicky. "After A Year Of Secrecy, Laszlo Bock And Wayne Crosby Break Their Silence On Humu". Forbes. Retrieved 2018-05-27.
^ nudges
^ "Google's former HR exec has a new startup — and he says technical skills alone aren't enough to get hired". Business Insider. Retrieved 2018-05-27.