Paul Buchheit
Encyclopedia
Paul Buchheit is an American computer programmer and entrepreneur. He was the creator and lead developer of Gmail
. He developed the original prototype of Google AdSense as part of his work on Gmail. He also suggested the company's now-famous motto "Don't be evil
" in a 2000 meeting on company values. The motto was originally coined in 1999 by Amit Patel, one of Google's first engineers, in a collaborative resistance against the company's hiring policies.
Buchheit grew up in Webster, New York
and went to college at Case Western Reserve University
in Cleveland, Ohio
. He worked at Intel and later became the 23rd employee at Google
.
Buchheit was a founder of the startup
FriendFeed
, which was launched in 2007 and was acquired by Facebook
in 2009, in a private transaction.
In 2010, Buchheit left Facebook to become a partner at the venture capital
firm Y Combinator. From 2006 (when he started investing) until 2008, Paul invested about $1.21 million in 32 different companies. He also continues to oversee angel investments
of his own, in (by his own estimate) "about 40" startups.
Gmail
Gmail is a free, advertising-supported email service provided by Google. Users may access Gmail as secure webmail, as well via POP3 or IMAP protocols. Gmail was launched as an invitation-only beta release on April 1, 2004 and it became available to the general public on February 7, 2007, though...
. He developed the original prototype of Google AdSense as part of his work on Gmail. He also suggested the company's now-famous motto "Don't be evil
Don't Be Evil
"Don't be evil" is the informal corporate motto of Google, originally suggested by Google employees Paul Buchheit and Amit Patel at a meeting...
" in a 2000 meeting on company values. The motto was originally coined in 1999 by Amit Patel, one of Google's first engineers, in a collaborative resistance against the company's hiring policies.
Buchheit grew up in Webster, New York
Webster (town), New York
Webster is a town in the northeast corner of Monroe County, New York, United States. The town is named after orator and statesman Daniel Webster. The population was 42,641 at the 2010 census....
and went to college at Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University is a private research university located in Cleveland, Ohio, USA...
in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
. He worked at Intel and later became the 23rd employee at Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
.
Buchheit was a founder of the startup
Startup company
A startup company or startup is a company with a limited operating history. These companies, generally newly created, are in a phase of development and research for markets...
FriendFeed
FriendFeed
FriendFeed is a real-time feed aggregator that consolidates the updates from social media and social networking websites, social bookmarking websites, blogs and micro-blogging updates, as well as any other type of RSS/ Atom feed...
, which was launched in 2007 and was acquired by Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
in 2009, in a private transaction.
In 2010, Buchheit left Facebook to become a partner at the venture capital
Venture capital
Venture capital is financial capital provided to early-stage, high-potential, high risk, growth startup companies. The venture capital fund makes money by owning equity in the companies it invests in, which usually have a novel technology or business model in high technology industries, such as...
firm Y Combinator. From 2006 (when he started investing) until 2008, Paul invested about $1.21 million in 32 different companies. He also continues to oversee angel investments
Angel investor
An angel investor or angel is an affluent individual who provides capital for a business start-up, usually in exchange for convertible debt or ownership equity...
of his own, in (by his own estimate) "about 40" startups.