FastCompany has an interestiing article on Google: How Google Grows...and Grows...and Grows...afterwards, check out Good Experience's interview with Marissa Mayer, Product Manager at Google as well as Neema's report on the seminar by Marissa.
A few points struck me:
1. Google news has a delicate balance. Since it is being cited as a news source, those blurbs carry a lot of responsibility to them. It's more than just a machine picking up news items from all over the web, even though, all it is, is a machine picking up news items from all over the web.
2. Marissa's interviews sound very similar to interviews given by Larry Page. They probably have the same talking points.
3. Nice Flow Chart :)
