from Michael Hochster

When Sam started at Google in early 2007, I was assigned to be his mentor. It didn't take long to figure out who the real mentor was! I remember telling people that Sam right away understood anything I explained to him better than I did myself. One evening after work, Sam and I were talking about some technical topic while I waited for my bus home. I don't remember the details now, but at the time it was captivating enough that I didn't notice the bus loading, then pulling away. Sam chased it some distance on my behalf, yelling very very loudly until the driver pulled over. That was Sam: engaging enough to make you miss your bus, kind enough to flag it down for you. I'll miss him.