Most of us will never be an early employee at (or found) the "next Google" (or Facebook or Twitter or whatever), but this story is interesting for more than the Google name-dropping.
One morning, I put on my best thrift store suit and boarded the 5am bus to the financial district with my sandwich board under my arm. I stood outside the Bank of America world headquarters, put the two-sided sign over my head and began passing out resumes. I was there for 12 hours. I passed out resumes as people rolled into work, when they went out for lunch and as they left for home. This was one of the most humbling moments of my life. I stood out, exposed, bluntly asking for help and displaying my convictions.
It's easy to suggest that early employees of a mega-company were "just lucky", but that's forgetting that the vast majority are also exceptional people who throw themselves in the way of luck - great examples for the saying "you make your own luck".
