After living in the walled information ecosystem of WeChat in China for 4 years, I fully appreciate the importance of open ecosystems. So now as part of Search at Google, I lead efforts whose mission is to promote the development of diverse, open Web ecosystems globally (e.g. not entirely stuck in Facebookistan) Since Oct 2015, I've led our Search Tools PM team, which provides diagnostic tools to Webmasters/developers. Starting Jan 2016, I'm now leading a newly formed Content Creation team comprised of product managers and engineers focusing on content creation projects including Blogger (Google's free blog platform committed to supporting free expression globally) and some other not-yet-fully launched projects.
Prior to this role, I was based in Shanghai/Beijing where I banged my head against a (great) wall trying to get Google back into China as the "China Product Lead" (along with my comrade Boon-Lock Yeo)
My long-term startup dream: to create an AI that would teach kids to read, to learn a foreign language, and to lead themselves on a Hero's Journey of personalized learning!
Prior to joining Google, I was a startup co-founder!
-- UpTake Networks (online travel, semantic search, SEO), sold to Groupon in 2012
-- Loyalty Matrix (retention/loyalty analytics consulting), sold to Responsys in 2006
-- Netcentives (loyalty programs and virtual currency), went public in 1999 (NASDAQ:NCNT) and was acquired (in a distress sale, unfortunately) in 2001 by Cendant Corporation (NYSE:CD) and InfoUSA (NASDAQ:IUSA)
