Does Google Apply Moneyball Principles in Hiring?

Following up on my recent post Is the IRS Applying Moneyball principles in its Hiring of Law Students? (and Jim Chen's detailed response here), today's Wall Street Journal has a fascinating article on the hiring process at Google: Google Adjusts Hiring Process As Needs Grow, by Kevin J. Delaney:

People close to the company say it has traditionally focused a lot on candidates' academic performance and favored those who went to elite schools. [Google's HR head] says that college grade-point average is a factor, and that most hires have done well academically. But he says there's no formal GPA requirement, and he points to new staff members who don't have college degrees but do have solid professional track records.