--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Lazlo Bock, senior vice president of…" description: "\"“Lazlo Bock, senior vice president of people operations at Google, made the following comments in an interview published by the New York Times in June ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fc/charles-hugh-smith-37087_education_lazlo-bock-senior-vice-president-of-peop_2753852.jpg" --- # Lazlo Bock, senior vice president of people operations at… ![“Lazlo Bock, senior vice president of people operations at Google, made the following comments in an interview published by the New York Times in June 2013: “One of the things we’ve seen from all our data crunching is that G.P.A.’s (grade point averages) are worthless as a criteria for hiring, and…” quote by Charles Hugh Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fc/charles-hugh-smith-37087_education_lazlo-bock-senior-vice-president-of-peop_2753852.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fc/charles-hugh-smith-37087_education_lazlo-bock-senior-vice-president-of-peop_2753852.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fc/charles-hugh-smith-37087_education_lazlo-bock-senior-vice-president-of-peop_2753852.jpg) > ““Lazlo Bock, senior vice president of people operations at Google, made the following comments in an interview published by the New York Times in June 2013: “One of the things we’ve seen from all our data crunching is that G.P.A.’s (grade point averages) are worthless as a criteria for hiring, and test scores are worthless. Google famously used to ask everyone for a transcript and G.P.A.’s and test scores, but we don’t anymore…. We found that they don’t predict anything. What’s interesting is the proportion of people without any college education at Google has increased over time as well. So we have teams where you have 14 percent of the team made up of people who’ve never gone to college.” Doing well in college—earning high test scores and grades—has no measurable correlation with becoming an effective worker or manager.  This is incontrovertible evidence that the entire Higher Education system is detached from the real economy: excelling in higher education has little discernible correlation to real-world skills or performance.”” [Charles Hugh Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-hugh-smith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Grades and test scores poorly predict job performance; hiring should focus on skills and experience rather than formal education. **In simple terms:** College grades don’t guarantee work success; look beyond transcripts. Key Takeaway Prioritize real‑world abilities over academic metrics in hiring. Themes employment education skills assessment bias Mood critical analytical Type pragmatic thought‑provoking When to use this quote - recruitment processes - career counseling - HR policy development Key Concepts human capital meritocracy data‑driven hiring Questions to Reflect On - What alternative criteria can better predict employee success? - How can bias be reduced in hiring? A Different Perspective Companies may lack tools to evaluate non‑academic talent fairly. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Education system](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education-system/) [Higher Ed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/higher-ed/) [Higher education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/higher-education/) [York Times](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/york-times/) ## Related quotes > [G.P.A.’s are worthless as a criteria for hiring, and test scores are worthless. We found that they don’t predict anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laszlo-bock/g-p-a-s-are-worthless-as-a-criteria-for-hiring-and-test-scores-are/) [Laszlo Bock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laszlo-bock/) > [My grade point average went from a 2.2 to a 4.0 over the summer. I wanted to get straight A's. I decided to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/my-grade-point-average-went-from-a-2-2-to-a-4-0-over-the-summer-i/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [I grew up below the poverty line; I didn't have as much as other people did. I think it made me stronger as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-bieber/i-grew-up-below-the-poverty-line-i-didn-t-have-as-much-as-other/) [Justin Bieber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-bieber/) > [“You can have all A's in life, but whether they make you a successful person or not depends on what you make of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taskinsoy/you-can-have-all-a-s-in-life-but-whether-they-make-you-a-successful/) [JOHN TASKINSOY](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taskinsoy/) > [I was in honors classes in high school. I'd get an A on every test, but I had a 1.9 grade point average. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-arenas/i-was-in-honors-classes-in-high-school-i-d-get-an-a-on-every-test-but/) [Gilbert Arenas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-arenas/) > [“It is a tragedy, at rate at which EBOLA VIRUS is spreading in West Africa. It is a fatal disease in the history of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/it-is-a-tragedy-at-rate-at-which-ebola-virus-is-spreading-in-west/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [Every education system on Earth has the same hierarchy of subjects: at the top are mathematics and languages, then the humanities, and the bottom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-robinson/every-education-system-on-earth-has-the-same-hierarchy-of-subjects-at/) [Ken Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-robinson/) > [We have taken God out of our education system. We have taken Him out of government. 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We aren't interested in doing reform for reform's sake. I believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-juneau/our-public-education-system-does-a-great-job-i-don-t-think-it-s/) [Denise Juneau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-juneau/) > [I think Democrats are right. We fight for the American dream, for the environment, for privacy rights, a woman's right to choose, a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-boxer/i-think-democrats-are-right-we-fight-for-the-american-dream-for-the/) [Barbara Boxer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-boxer/) > [We do not put enough emphasis on early childhood years. We neglect children in this society; as a society we're guilty of child neglect.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-babbitt/we-do-not-put-enough-emphasis-on-early-childhood-years-we-neglect/) [Bruce Babbitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-babbitt/) > [Mitt Romney was attacking Obama about our failing education system. He has a point. We are graduating millions of people in this country who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/mitt-romney-was-attacking-obama-about-our-failing-education-system-he/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [I absolutely believe in the power of innovative entrepreneurship on every level. That's why I am exploring ways to improve our education system by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naveen-jain/i-absolutely-believe-in-the-power-of-innovative-entrepreneurship-on/) [Naveen Jain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naveen-jain/) ## More by Charles Hugh Smith > [So now that the illusion of infinite growth is being exposed, the corresponding ballooning entitlements that enticed the larger public to become complicit in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-hugh-smith/so-now-that-the-illusion-of-infinite-growth-is-being-exposed-the/) [Charles Hugh Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-hugh-smith/) > [The notion that better engineering can solve all our problems is rooted in an ignorance of non-linear systems and selective/wishful thinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-hugh-smith/the-notion-that-better-engineering-can-solve-all-our-problems-is/) [Charles Hugh Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-hugh-smith/) > [One of the dirty little secrets of the stock market rally is that the rising corporate profits that powered it are largely phantom profits.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-hugh-smith/one-of-the-dirty-little-secrets-of-the-stock-market-rally-is-that-the/) [Charles Hugh Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-hugh-smith/) > [The problems of the global economy are not based in perception, but in the reality of prices, balance sheets and income statements, vast concentrations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-hugh-smith/the-problems-of-the-global-economy-are-not-based-in-perception-but-in/) [Charles Hugh Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-hugh-smith/) > [Once a citizen receives a direct payment from the state, the state has purchased their complicity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-hugh-smith/once-a-citizen-receives-a-direct-payment-from-the-state-the-state-has/) [Charles Hugh Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-hugh-smith/) > [Humans are wired to feel uncomfortable with uncertainty and contingency, and so we gravitate to a position after a short time even if we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-hugh-smith/humans-are-wired-to-feel-uncomfortable-with-uncertainty-and/) [Charles Hugh Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-hugh-smith/) > [Reality, unlike perception, cannot be changed by propaganda.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-hugh-smith/reality-unlike-perception-cannot-be-changed-by-propaganda/) [Charles Hugh Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-hugh-smith/) > [Would we as a nation be better off dealing with the truth rather than believing fantasies that prop up the Status Quo and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-hugh-smith/would-we-as-a-nation-be-better-off-dealing-with-the-truth-rather-than/) [Charles Hugh Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-hugh-smith/) > [The human mind has a superglue-like quality: Once a viewpoint has been plucked from the swirling chaos of beliefs and explanations, then the mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-hugh-smith/the-human-mind-has-a-superglue-like-quality-once-a-viewpoint-has-been/) [Charles Hugh Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-hugh-smith/) > [“In this networked world, specialization is no longer a competitive advantage; the competitive advantage goes to those whose work cannot be commoditized or traded.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-hugh-smith/in-this-networked-world-specialization-is-no-longer-a-competitive/) [Charles Hugh Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-hugh-smith/) > [“It is a central thesis of this book that centralization has reached diminishing returns and is no longer yielding any benefit. Instead, it has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-hugh-smith/it-is-a-central-thesis-of-this-book-that-centralization-has-reached/) [Charles Hugh Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-hugh-smith/) [Explore all 12 Charles Hugh Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-hugh-smith/) ## More Education quotes > [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/) Ted Martinez > [“In school you are taught to obey and not to think straight for your own good. 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They inspire you, they entertain you, and you end up learning a ton even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/what-s-the-best-thing-about-being-in-college-good-teachers-they/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [“If one has not a head of steel it will burst; if he has not within it a brain of liquid quicksilver, he will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ioannes-amos-commenius/if-one-has-not-a-head-of-steel-it-will-burst-if-he-has-not-within-it/) Ioannes Amos Commenius > [“let us not teach / what we have learned badly / and not profited by”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-d-hilda-doolittle/let-us-not-teach-what-we-have-learned-badly-and-not-profited-by/) H.D. (Hilda Doolittle > [“It took me years to learn to sit at my desk for more than two minutes at a time, to put up with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/it-took-me-years-to-learn-to-sit-at-my-desk-for-more-than-two-minutes/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [According to Plato, we don't learn anything. Our soul has lived so many lives that we know everything. Teachers and education can only remind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/according-to-plato-we-don-t-learn-anything-our-soul-has-lived-so-many/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“I only began to enjoy studying after I got through the educational system and became a so-called member of society. If something interested me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-only-began-to-enjoy-studying-after-i-got-through-the-educational/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you had made the acquiring of ignorance the study of your life, you could not have graduated with higher honor than you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-you-had-made-the-acquiring-of-ignorance-the-study-of-your-life-you/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [How wonderful it would be, I thought, if only we could practice the teachings of the Buddha as he really taught them from his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/how-wonderful-it-would-be-i-thought-if-only-we-could-practice-the/) [Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/) > [English teachers tend to put more thought in the books than the author did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/english-teachers-tend-to-put-more-thought-in-the-books-than-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When will society, like a mother, take care of all her children?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/when-will-society-like-a-mother-take-care-of-all-her-children/) [Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/) [Browse all 37,666 Education quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Lazlo Bock, senior vice president of people operations at Google, made the following comments in an interview published by the New York Times in June 2013: “One of the things we’ve seen from all our data crunching is that G.P.A.’s (grade point averages) are worthless as a criteria for hiring, and test scores are worthless. Google famously used to ask everyone for a transcript and G.P.A.’s and test scores, but we don’t anymore…. We found that they don’t predict anything. What’s interesting is the proportion of people without any college education at Google has increased over time as well. So we have teams where you have 14 percent of the team made up of people who’ve never gone to college.” Doing well in college—earning high test scores and grades—has no measurable correlation with becoming an effective worker or manager.  This is incontrovertible evidence that the entire Higher Education system is detached from the real economy: excelling in higher education has little discernible correlation to real-world skills or performance.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Charles Hugh Smith" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-hugh-smith/lazlo-bock-senior-vice-president-of-people-operations-at-google-made/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Education" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-hugh-smith/lazlo-bock-senior-vice-president-of-people-operations-at-google-made/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fc/charles-hugh-smith-37087_education_lazlo-bock-senior-vice-president-of-peop_2753852.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fc/charles-hugh-smith-37087_education_lazlo-bock-senior-vice-president-of-peop_2753852.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fc/charles-hugh-smith-37087_education_lazlo-bock-senior-vice-president-of-peop_2753852.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Lazlo Bock, senior vice president of people operations at Google, made the following comments in an…” — Charles Hugh Smith", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Charles Hugh Smith", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-hugh-smith/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Lazlo Bock, senior vice president of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-hugh-smith/lazlo-bock-senior-vice-president-of-people-operations-at-google-made/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-hugh-smith/lazlo-bock-senior-vice-president-of-people-operations-at-google-made/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```