Larry Page

Google’s Page and Brin think Apple is doing too few products

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 7, 2014

Apple's late co-founder Steve Jobs used to offer a nice word of advice to Google co-founder and boss Larry Page. "You guys are doing too much stuff," he'd tell Page.

Today, Page thinks Google's multi-pronged approach to product development is paying off big time as the search monster now has its tentacles in a number of lucrative businesses. Contrast Google's approach to Apple, which only does a few things at the time.

This is part of Apple's DNA, but Page is unimpressed.

He didn't heed his mentor's advice and think Apple's laser-sharp focus on things that matter the most is limiting its ability to compete. “It sounds stupid if you have this big company and you can only do, like, five things,” Page said during a fireside chat with venture capitalist Vinod Khosla...

Google social boss Vic Gundotra leaving after eight years

Jake Smith ∙ April 24, 2014

There's a big shakeup at Google on Thursday as Vic Gundotra, the man charged with leading Google's social efforts and one of the creators of Google+, is departing the company after eight years.

Gundotra announced the news on none other than his Google+ profile, saying he is proud of what the Facebook-competing Google+ team has accomplished despite skepticism in the industry. Gundotra didn't offer any details as to why he's leaving.

Google’s $14B quarter falls on deaf ears as Motorola continues bleeding money

Ed Sutherland ∙ July 18, 2013

In an earnings call nearly devoid of specifics, Google announced its Motorola Mobility unit continues to be in the red, while revenue from its search business fell six percent compared to a year ago. Search revenue fell four percent during the first quarter amid declining ad rates.

Overall, the Mountain View, California headquartered Internet giant announced $14.11 billion in second-quarter non-GAAP revenue, up nineteen percent from $11.81 billion a year ago - and yet below Wall Street's expectations.

Google's CEO Larry Page announced the company saw 900 million cumulative Android activations worldwide, with more than 1.5 million units being activated each day, which is precisely the same data point he gave at Google I/O 2013 back in May...

Google CEO: our work on Maps is ‘clearly more appreciated now’

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

When Larry Page became the CEO of Google, taking over from Eric Schmidt who is now the company's chairman, he immediately began the Jobs-ification of the Internet giant. He axed a bunch of projects and put more wood behind fewer arrows in order to make the company more agile.

Page then set his sights on so-called moon shots, ambitious projects which could become the pillars of Google’s future growth. The decision gave birth to such projects as self-driving cars and Minority Report style Project Glass, for example. Page sat down with journalist Steven Levy who wrote a book on Google called "In The Plex: How Google Thinks, Works, and Shapes Our Lives" (a $15 download from the iBookstore), here's what came out of him...

CEO Larry Page wishes Google and Apple would get along better

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated April 18, 2016

Larry Page, who co-founded Google along with Sergey Brin in 1998, made it to #13 on the Forbes 400 list of richest Americans at the age of 39, with personal wealth estimated at $20.3 billion. One of the brightest computer scientists of our time, Page invented the PageRank algorithm, a secret sauce that powers Google's search rankings.

An American Jew, Page took over reigns of Google from then CEO Eric Schmidt in April of 2011, mercilessly axing many projects in order to focus the company on a few that mattered the most. He oversaw Google's acquisition of the handset maker Motorola Mobility and is now leading the search Goliath as it wages an all-out war against Apple on multiple fronts, vying for supremacy in the all-important mobile market.

The Google CEO today sat for a quick one-on-one interview with Forbes, here's what came out of him concerning Apple, competition and other interesting topics...

Tim Cook reportedly in talks with Google’s Larry Page over patents

Cody Lee ∙ Updated February 7, 2016

If you're getting as tired of all of the patent lawsuits as we are, then you'll happy to hear that Google and Apple have opened the lines of communications regarding intellectual property matters.

A new report is out this morning claiming that Tim Cook, and Google's CEO Larry Page, have been involved in behind-the-scene talks over a range of things, including mobile patent disputes...

Here’s what Google becoming a handset maker means for Apple

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated July 11, 2017

Earlier today, Google CEO Larry Page took to company blog to break the big news: having obtained necessary approvals from watchdogs on both side of the Atlantic, the search giant has finally closed its $12.5 billion acquisition of the ailing handset maker Motorola Mobility in a move meant to “supercharge the Android ecosystem”.

The transaction will close by May 23 and is rumored to see Google laying off up to one-third of Motorola staff.

Motorola CEO Sanjay Jha is stepping down (not unexpected) and will be replaced by Dennis Woodside whom Apple tried to poach last year. The new CEO already promised "fewer, bigger bets", meaning Motorola should streamline its portfolio to focus on a select few hero devices.

So, Googlerola is alive and the search giant is now officially a handset maker - one sitting on an enormous pile of patents. In fact, the search Goliath is now in a position to directly fight Apple's allegations against Android makers.

Taking it all in, we analyze what repercussions - if any - this development potentially poses for Apple and its ongoing legal spat against major Android backers such as HTC, Samsung and, yes, Motorola...