Aydin Senkut - Full Interview

In this issue we speak to alumnus Aydin Senkut (WG'96), who joined Google, perhaps the fastest growing company in US history, as its 63rd employee. Senkut is now an angel investor supporting entrepreneurs with Google-like drive and vision. From the beginning at Google, when he worked amid dangling computer cables, to his exit years later when head counts reached the thousands, Senkut gained an appreciation for building a culture that values its people as well the innovation they create.

Aydin Senkut on the Early Days at Google

"We had wires sticking from the ceiling. We played soccer with tennis balls. We used to joke, 'Someday we will be a multi-billion dollar business.' [Looking back] it’s surreal." Aydin Senkut, WG'96, joined Google as its 63rd employee. The company, he says, embodied collegiality, filled with those who cared more about the company's mission to democratize the Internet than plush offices and lofty job titles.

Aydin Senkut on What He Looks for in Founders

"I look for young hungry founders who don’t surrender during tough times." Once part of the core of Google's start up success, Aydin Senkut,WG'96, is now an angel investor who invests in entrepreneurs who emulate the very characteristics that made Google one of the fastest growing companies in history.

What Wharton Means to Aydin Senkut

"The whole Wharton educational background, it's like special forces, being able to have something thrown at you and immediately reacting to the opportunity. But I generally cared about the people [involved in the international deals]. We are all human beings and that plays a role in our business decisions too." Aydin Senkut, WG'96, was responsible for extending Google's reach internationally and he credits Wharton for helping him close every deal he pursued. But, using Jon M. Huntsman, W'59, H'96, as a reference, Senkut stresses that treating people of all cultures with respect and decency is an essential ingredient to success.