Adobe and Google both wanted it. Bill Gates wanted it shut down. The “it” is Writely, the online word processor that would become Google Docs. 

Today, Google Docs is ubiquitous, used by millions to draft and collaborate on documents in real-time. But back in 2005, co-authoring a document with others usually meant emailing versions back and forth. And not having a save button? That made users freak out. Yet this simple feature came to define what made Google Docs unique.

In this episode, host Ilana Strauss delves into why the founders of Writely initially turned down Google, the need to create a fake save button, and the “when it clicked” moment they discovered real-time collaboration was the feature that would define the software’s success.  

You’ll hear from Claudia Carpenter , the creator of Writely and former tech lead for Google docs, Jennifer Mazzon, product lead at Evidation Health and former senior product manager at Google, and one of those early Writely users who helped define the product, Joe Burgess.

When It Clicked is an original podcast from ClickUp. For a transcript of this episode and other extras, check out When It Clicked - Writely