On the whole, it actually worked very well. Everyone wanted to work there because you were surrounded by top people.
Early Google: Phenomenal ability to build effective, high-quality products. Everyone wants to work there. Stainless reputation with the public.
Current Google: Limited ability to build effective high-quality products (but retty good at sustaining the successful products they have). Mixed reputation as an employer. Mixed reputation with the public.
You can extrapolate from there. I'm concerned about the second derivative.
I think the second piece there is employee growth. In 2001, Google had 300. In 2004, it has 3,000. By 2011, it had 32,000. today, it's over 100,000. You can't quite fit an exponent to it, but it's pretty close. If revenues don't keep growing exponentially....
I'm not implying it's failing, by any means, but it's gone to the same place as any other large corporation, and not a strong position to maintain pole position from.