Google

I lead over 200 engineers in the Geo Perception team with the mission to transform how we understand the physical world. 

We build innovative hardware, global imagery collection, groundbreaking applied ML and image understanding to deliver foundational data for Google Maps (2B+ active users), Auto, Sustainability, and Google Maps Platform. 

Responsible for driving AI-first solutions, 3D data products, and scalable platforms to support image and sensor data needs across Google. Significantly advancing innovative hardware, global imagery collection and semantic understanding for scalable map creation.

Senior Engineering Director Geo - Geo Perception

Engineering leader for a set of ad products at Google including Panels research, DoubleClick Bid Manager, Ad Planner and other planning tools.

Senior Engineering Manager - Ads

DoubleClick

Engineering manager for 2 products and teams at Doubleclick. 

Full lifecycle software development using Agile methodologies. Mentor and manage teams to produce quality software, including architecture design, development and deployment.

Engineer and Manager

BMC Software

Consultant

Creative Concepts Corporation

Senior Software Engineer

I'm a Senior Engineering Director on Google Maps. 

I lead teams of 200+ engineers who build AI-first platforms, hardware systems, are revolutionizing global imagery, and delivering transformative solutions for more than 2 billion monthly active users. 

I share lessons here: 

• To help others navigate the challenges of leadership.
• To inspire bold experimentation and purposeful action.
• To help aspiring leaders get the opportunities they are looking for.
• To empower leaders to drive impact while helping their teams grow.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝗲? 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗺𝗮𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹.

Together, we can break barriers, ignite ideas, and create lasting change. Let’s lead boldly, innovate, and inspire others to do the same.

𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗲: Engineering Leadership, AI and Machine Learning, Technical Vision, Scalable Infrastructure, Product Strategy and Vision, Multi-Disciplinary Collaboration, Platforms and Services, Distributed and Cross-Functional Teams, Privacy-First Design, Performance Optimization, Talent Development, and Team Building.

NOTE: The opinions stated here are my own, not those of my company.

Some people make others feel seen.

Especially on their worst days.

They do it quietly.
Through small, thoughtful actions.

With no agenda, no performance, just presence.

Be impressed by:
 – How someone treats a stranger.
 – How they behave when no one’s watching.
 – How willing they are to help others.

Being a good human matters more than being impressive.

♻️ Repost to spread this reminder.

Melody Olson

Engineering Executive & Leadership Advisor | Helping Tech Leaders Drive Change with Clarity and Impact | Former Google Sr. Director

Speed isn't the issue. 

Friction is.

Most teams don’t suffer from lack of drive.

They suffer from hidden roadblocks that drain energy and slow them down.

We have all lived them: 
🚧 Unclear objectives and ownership 
🚧 Waiting for perfect data 
🚧 Meetings that wander 
🚧 Endless email threads 
🚧 Too many layers of approval 

Each one slows progress and frustrates people who want to move fast and make an impact. 

The best leaders don't ignore these blockers. 
The remove them: 

✅ Define what a win looks like, and why it matters. 
✅ Run small experiments and learn as you go. 
✅ Push decisions to the edge. 
✅ Clarify ownership early. Who decides? Who drives? 
✅ Set clear principles that empower within boundaries. 

The “Road to Success” isn’t about working harder.

It’s about clearing the path so clarity, focus, and ownership can turn ideas into action.

Thanks to Scott J. Allen, Ph.D. for the partnership on this post. He is great! Give him a follow. 

*** 
♻️ Repost to help others unlock their team's potential
➕ Follow me, Melody Olson, for leadership insights. 
📍 Design by Bela Jevtovic

Everyone you admire once doubted themselves.


Confidence doesn’t come before action.

I used to think confident people had it all figured out. 
Now I know: confidence comes from doing. 

Confidence isn’t something you have before you start. 

It’s something you build through starting — through the reps of trying, failing, learning, and trying again. 

Lately, I’ve been reminded of this for myself in my writing. It’s so easy to overthink, to wait for perfect to feel more confident, but I learn the more I do and share. It is how we work! 

Every time you raise your hand, share an idea, take a chance, or step outside your comfort zone — you learn, get more experience, get more confident. 

You don’t need to feel ready to begin. 
You get ready by beginning. 

♻️ Reshare to remind others that confidence comes by doing
➕ Follow me, Melody Olson, for more like this.

Leaders are betting big on AI.

Most are losing.

According to the State of AI in Business 2025 report:
 → 95% of organizations see no measurable return on their GenAI spend
 → Only 5% of pilots reach full production

This is an execution problem.

Here’s what the top-performing teams do differently:

1. Build for learning speed
 → Create feedback loops so teams can quickly adapt models and workflows. The faster your teams learn, the faster you see results.

2. Define success from the start
 → Set clear, measurable outcomes before you build. Know what good looks like. 

3. Focus narrowly
 → Prioritize fewer use cases. Depth > Breadth. 

4. Measure impact early
 → Track business outcomes. Measurement drives momentum and scale.

If AI isn't delivering outcomes,

it's time to change how you're building.
 
Start small. Learn fast. Measure for success.

👇 The GenAI Divide 2025 report is in the comments. 

➕ Follow me, Melody Olson, for leadership & AI insights.

Trust doesn’t collapse in one dramatic moment.

It erodes quietly.

In patterns leaders don’t always see.

- Avoiding a hard decision.
- Protecting comfort over growth.
- Staying silent when it matters most.

These are just a few.
Below are 15 patterns I’ve seen that quietly destroy trust.

Many times, leaders don’t even realize they’re doing them.

No one gets it right all the time.
But great leaders stay aware of what’s at risk.

Trust fades slowly and then all at once.

Spot these behaviors early.
Lead from a place of clarity, not comfort.

👇 Which one do you think causes the most damage?

➕ Follow me, Melody Olson, for more like this. 
♻️ Reshare to help others be better leaders.

OpenAI built Agent Builder in just six weeks.

80% of the code — written by AI.

It’s tempting to see that as a technical story. 

But it’s really a story about activation. 

Most product orgs still run on slow, planning-based rhythms designed for predictability. 

AI is breaking that model. 

When code can be generated in hours, the constraint isn’t technology — it’s how fast leaders can activate an org to action. 

This is the new leadership challenge: 

Can your organization learn and adapt faster than the world changes? 

To move faster, leaders can: 

1. Shorten the loop from idea to experiment. 
→ Give teams permission to test fast and learn faster. 

2. Replace approvals with principles. 
→ Push decision rights closer to the work, anchored in clear guardrails. 

3. Rally around purpose, not process. 
→ When everyone knows why it matters, alignment creates its own momentum. 

The teams that master activation speed — not just technical speed will define the future. 

👇 What’s one way your team has changed how it builds or ships this year?

➕ Follow me, Melody Olson, for more on leadership & AI
♻️ Reshare to help others move quickly.

The gap between knowing and doing, 

That’s where most teams lose.

Not because they lack insight but because they don’t move when it matters most.

70% of digital transformations fail to hit their objectives.

They stall in meetings, uncertainty, or fear of getting it wrong.

Here are 8 practices that move ideas from awareness to action:

1. Make the "Why" clear
 → Help others see the purpose.

2. Ask bold questions
 → Challenge assumptions with curiosity.

3. Be curious
 → Ask for feedback. Reflect and adjust.

4. Decide, then commit
 → Speed beats perfection.

5. Look for ways to help
 → Step in, unblock, support. 

6. Say the hard thing
 → Honesty builds trust.

7. Make space for thinking
 → Step back to see forward.

8. Share what you learn
 → Insight spreads faster when you talk about it.

Every team has great ideas and spots the signals. 

The difference is who turns them into action.

💡 Save this next time your team feels stuck between ideas and action.

➕ Follow me, Melody Olson, for more on leadership and AI insights

Researchers let AI models gamble. 

The results were disturbingly human.

They gave language models autonomy to make betting decisions.

The goal:  Study how they behave under risk.

Here is what happened: 

The models started showing human-like gambling traits — loss chasing, illusion of control, overconfidence, even bankruptcies.

Yikes!

Humans don’t just learn from data; we develop biases along the way.

This research suggests AI can too.

When we build systems, we need to test not only for accuracy, but for behaviors.

The challenge ahead isn’t just building intelligence — it's making sure the right guardrails are in place. 

👇 Link to the full research is in the comments.

➕ Follow me, Melody Olson, for more like this.

Every fast-moving team I’ve worked with
had one thing in common:
High trust.

We talk a lot about speed:
moving faster, executing faster, deciding faster.

But the fastest path to momentum isn’t process.
It’s trust.

Leaders who build trust don’t need to micromanage each detail. 

Their teams move because they understand why they are doing it and trust each other.

When trust is high:
 • Decisions get made faster.
 • People get feedback they need.
 • Teams step up without fear.

Trust isn’t soft. It is the ultimate growth hack. 

♻️ Reshare to remind others the importance of trust. 
➕ Follow me, Melody Olson, for more like this.

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