In this rare and deeply personal conversation, I was fortunate to sit down with Ruth as she opened up about the defining moments of her life, from learning the power of smart risk to helping stabilize the global economy in 2008.

Her and I dive deep into Google’s AI strategy, how competition from ChatGPT ultimately makes the company stronger, the Nobel Prize–winning breakthroughs behind AlphaFold and Ruth’s candid view on how close we really are to finding a cure for cancer.

Ruth also shares her “battle scars”, hiring philosophy, her vision for the future of teleportation technology, and the advice she would give to anyone looking to pivot their career successfully.A big thanks to the Google team in Riyadh for facilitating this shoot at their beautiful offices.

0:00 Intro 

3:39 Leading Through the 2008 Financial Crisis 

5:37 Flexibility vs. Rigidity in Career Paths 

8:41 Thriving in Google’s Culture of Innovation 

11:12 Google’s Approach to AI Competition 

13:35 Unlocking Creativity with Gemini 

17:14 Making Bold Bets at Google 

19:20 Data Privacy and Security at Google 

21:34 Google’s Investment in Saudi Arabia & Vision 2030 

27:58 Future Tech: Teleportation & AI in Healthcare 

32:10 Curing Cancer & Personal Battle 

35:40 Life Lessons: Risk, Learning, and Mentorship 

40:02 Reflecting on Regrets and Closing