Google’s founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, were bona-fide public figures by then, and self-made billionaires multiple times over, but in Charlie’s they were idols.
They would often ascend the stage together, practically matching in sweat-wicking athletic clothes and Crocs.
Larry had a dopey perma-smile, and seemed delighted by everything, especially Sergey.
Sergey was the straight man, with a faint lilt, a product of his childhood in Russia, and an acrobatic build that made him look like he might launch into a handspring at any moment.
Their charisma was unconventional, contextual; you had to be there.
