Author Ken Auletta goes to the heart of Google – "Googled: The End of the World as We Know It."

It was an audacious way to start a book reading.

Standing behind a podium in a room full of Googlers at Google headquarters in Mountain View, Ken Auletta, America’s premier media scribe, announced he had just come from a talk at Microsoft’s headquarters. Auletta wanted to make a distinction between the companies.

"Microsoft had cold businessmen," he said. "They were out to kill the competition. You’re not cold businessmen. You’re cold engineers."

The Googlers – including CEO Eric Schmidt – broke into laughter.

So began the lively talk by Auletta, a New York power player, staff writer for the New Yorker, and author of 11 books, including his new work, "Googled: The End of the World as We Know It."

Julian Guthrie, Chronicle Staff Writer

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