I have no idea. I find him fascinating. Now Dan Farber has given me some justification. He found a letter from Dr. Lee to friends and family in China explaining his move from MSFT to Google and had it translated. It says a lot about what Google means to engineers. From Dan’s post:
Lee writes, “Microsoft is an outstanding company, and there are many things we can learn from it. But Google is a company that makes feel a shock. The reason Google gives me a shock is the passion for creating a new generation of technology. I found treasures in Google everywhere. The technology and products are way beyond just the search.”
At the end of the letter, Lee gives his formula for why Google is his choice:
youth + freedom + transparency + new model + the general public’s benefit + belief in trust = The Miracle of Google