In August 2 prominent tech leaders, who have a lot in common, celebrate birthdays. They are Sergey Brin, a co-founder of Google and Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia. Google and Wikipedia are well-known for all Internet users, thus, there are things we can learn from Brin and Wales success stories.
1. Knowledge is Power
Both gentlemen established companies that focus on knowledge. Since their youth, they realized that good education is highly important and devoted their lives to global knowledge distribution. If Google tries to structure data, then Wikipedia strives to summarize information.

2. Be Open
Public access to both services is the key of their success. By letting everyone use the search engine and the civil encyclopedia Sergey Brin and Jimmy Wales demonstrate a democratic approach to web.
3. Don’t Be Evil
The phrase points to the idea of improving the world with the thing you do. For instance, Google facilitates search and spends lots of money on charity. Wikipedia supports education and remains as a non-commercial organization.
4. Be Brave
Brin’s and Wales’ companies are transparent to criticism and ready to recognize their mistakes. Meanwhile, they are strong enough to protest against Internet censorship and defend their principles.
5. Be Fast
Google and Wikipedia evolve quickly. Daily Wikipedia gets dozens of updates; the search engine indexes thousands of new web pages. Thanks to regular small improvements, the services always stay up-to-date.
6. Turn Your Hobby into Your Work
Harvey MacKay said: “Find something you love to do and you’ll never have to work a day in your life”. Both Sergey and Jimmy prove this sentence. From school time, they were interested in studies and let their interest turn into Google and Wikipedia.

7. Think Global, Act Step by Step
Wikipedia and Google are global-scale companies launched as tech startups. They focused their attention on the product development and grew loyal audience steadily keeping in mind worldwide need for these services.
8. One Meeting Changes Everything
No doubt, right people can change your life. When Larry met Sergey, Google appeared on the Internet. When Jimmy hired Larry Sanger Wikipedia occurred on the web landscape.
9. Sometimes Failure Means Success
When Larry Page and Sergey Brin invented search algorithm, they wanted to sell it to Yahoo, but got a refusal. Before Wikipedia, Jimmy Wales created a scientific online encyclopedia which failed. Thanks to these failures, we can enjoy smart Google search and user-driven Wikipedia.
10. Be Yourself
The most important advice from Sergey Brin and Jimmy Wales: risk being yourself.