“As it has grown into the dominant company in Silicon Valley, Google has lost some of its entrepreneurial culture and become a slower-moving bureaucracy, analysts and insiders say,” Miller and Helft report. “To counter this, the company announced that Larry Page, its 38-year-old co-founder, would take over as chief executive from Eric E. Schmidt, a technology industry veteran who was brought in a decade ago to provide adult supervision, as Silicon Valley calls it.”
Miller and Helft report, “Mr. Schmidt, 55, will remain executive chairman of the company, which had a market value of $200 billion at the close of trading on Thursday, up from $27 billion when it went public in 2004.”
MacDailyNews Take: Executive Chairman is a euphemism for Kicked Upstairs.
Miller and Helft report, “The sudden rise of Facebook has exposed Google’s failures in areas like social networking and threatens its vast share of the online advertising market. Meanwhile, although Google has had success in new areas like mobile and display advertising, it has struggled to branch out into other businesses like television. The unspoken fear within Google is that it could become like Microsoft, a once-dominant technology company that seems past its prime.”
MacDailyNews Take: “Seems?!” Drop the P.C. crap, New York Times, and grow a pair! Or one, even. “Seems.” Give us all a break.
Miller and Helft report, “Google, which has 24,400 employees, is no longer considered by many top engineers as the most desirable place to work in the Valley; a new generation of start-ups has taken that place… Mr. Page led the company in its early days but relinquished that role in 2001, when it was still private. In tapping him to return to the post, Google becomes one of the few major companies in the Valley to be put under the control of a founder after being run for so long by a professional manager.”
MacDailyNews Take: Which mediocrity-at-best-fest is more addicted copying Apple, Microsoft or Google? It’s a contest. Gatesy will be back next.
Miller and Helft report, “On his Twitter account, Mr. Schmidt wrote: ‘Day-to-day adult supervision is no longer needed.’ Later, on a conference call with analysts after Thursday’s earnings report, he said, ‘I believe Larry is ready,’ adding, ‘It’s time for him to have a shot at running this.'”
MacDailyNews Take: Dear pompous asshole, you were fired, kicked upstairs, tucked away safely, but you’re far too egotistical to realize it which is both hilarious and sad. Stop deluding yourself. Now, hit the trade show circuit and try not to say too many stupid things. Love, Larry and Sergey.
Miller and Helft report, “Mr. Page and Mr. Schmidt said the decision was mutual. ‘I don’t think there’s another person in the universe that could have done as good a job as Eric has done in the company,’ Mr. Page said.”
MacDailyNews Take: Which is why he’s no longer CEO. Now, sit down and shut up for once.
Miller and Helft report, “Ken Auletta, the author of ‘Googled: The End of the World As We Know It,’ said in an interview that while Mr. Schmidt may simply have been ready for a change after 10 years, he may have received some encouragement to step aside. ‘I don’t think he was pushed aside, but he may have been nudged,’ he said.”
MacDailyNews Take: Gee, ya think?
Miller and Helft report, ““’Larry has wanted to be C.E.O., so that’s not a surprise,’ said a former Google sales executive who would speak only anonymously to preserve his relationship with a powerful company. ‘But the timing — I’ve talked to people at Google today and they were just flabbergasted.’ Esther Dyson, a veteran Valley investor who has long known the Google founders and Mr. Schmidt, said, ‘It is unexpected but it makes a lot of sense.” She added: “Larry and Sergey have grown up. They want to run their own company.'”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: How about you go back to developing your own intellectual property again, focus on the things you’re good at, and stop following Apple around like a puppy dog? We’ll never be able to respect Google way we once did, but that would be a very welcome change. The world doesn’t need another Microsoft.
Window dressing won’t help – prove you still have excellence and ethics.
Jesus Christ! Are all Mac users this bitter and full of venom??
Here Google, here boy.
Nice doggie, have a treat.
Laugh of the day:
…stop following Apple like a puppy dog
@The Joker No, well at least I’m not, but for perspective look at the last two-three things Google has invested time in (I’m not sure of the order but things like Picasa, GoogleTV, Android, Wave, Buzz or Chrome come to mind) and then think about how many of those things were significant improvements from the products that came before/developed an entirely new segment (I won’t even say “new” because then the argument deteriorates into saying that no one is original blah blah blah).
From the Apple-user’s perspective (not necessarily mine, but I can see the argument) compare that to iPhone, iPad and AppleTV (three of Apple’s most recent time-consumers) and you can make a very strong argument that they completely changed – or at least altered the direction – of existing products in those areas. Add to that Schmidt used to be buddy-buddy with Apple and sat on their board and the image of Google as being “amazing”, “innovative”, etcetc doesn’t hold as much weight as it used it for some people.
Like I said, I don’t necessarily agree with the “let’s hate google” line of thinking but it is frustrating on some level to see Apple come up with “new” things and just have other companies creating “me-too” devices (even if the me-too products are better – which is subjective – it’d be nice to see other companies take the lead).
“We’ll never be able to respect Google the way we once did”
+1
This move will give Schidt [sic] more time to “enjoy” his Bilderberg Group.
@ observer
Pretty well said. I use “Google” — as in the search engine — because it is the best one. I have tried others and never been as satisfied.
But I can’t think of anything else Google does that is best in class otherwise. Not a single thing.
@MidWest Mac,
I use Scroogle.org’s “Scroogle Scraper” to get around Schidt’s spy organization.
@midwestmac Thanks
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” /> I switched my iOS devices to Bing but quickly switched back.. maybe it’s because I’m used to Google but it’s probably because it’s just a better search engine… nothing wrong with that. Gmail is great as well. I use MobileMe but don’t see any reason to get rid of my @gmail.com address.
I think a lot of the venom just comes from people looking for a battle/cause and this is a convenient one (much like Apple vs Msft previously, or Xbox vs PS3).
Will Google still dream to be the next Big Brother instead of Apple*?
* This is what comes out a lot within forums… 8x
@MDN
You are usually right on the mark with your takes, but “seems” past its prime is the appropriate characterization. Dysfunctionally flailing away now, they might yet regain growth, but of course we doubt it. Apple “seemed” past its prime in the mid/late 90s, even though it was not.
My biggest annoyance in tech right now is the masses of Android/RIM/WP7 followers who seem to so easily forget what a cell phone or tablet looked like a few short years ago.
I’ve made my choice in the argument over vertical integration (I like shit that works) but so little credit is given for the fact that, if not for the iPhone and iOS, there would be no Android in its current form or legions of cell phones that have all glass fronts.
Google has become derivative in many of its products. Just like Microsoft took its advantage as an early software developer for the original Mac and started designing its own GUI in secret, so did Google with iOS when it was developing things like Google Maps for the first iPhone.
I’ll bet you next time Apple designs a revolutionary product, the first software on it will be Apple-exclusive first party stuff. And who could blame them.
Lest we forget, Google is evil for multitudes of reasons. Privacy, security, etc. evil concerns aside, Google relies on choking innovations to keep infotech to the asymmetrical state it is now where they act as the gatekeeper. Sounds familiar? Think MS.
What is even worse, Google is not only reckless, it even has the audacity to pretend they are championing innovation by riding the coattails of others, all the while pointing fingers towards others calling evil. They are a hypocritical bunch, liar (their search ranks got caught while manipulating in their favour) and a thief (got caught by Oracle); but hypocrisy my major beef against them.
In that regard, MDN take is not only justified, I’d say they even let them off a tad easy.
Down with Google. Larry et al. aren’t angles either, calling SJ liar that the original Android was already conceived with touch interface à la iPhone. Seriously!
@krquet,
I started to post something in the same vein – thanks for doing it for me.
Gaagle is little more than a front of our spy agencies.
Schidtheads!
it doesn’t matter if Android is better than IOS, what matters is that they are selling mass quantities of phones. I loved it when Google and Apple were allies. Dell and Microsoft, Google and Apple, that was a great war. I miss it.
@observer
I think there is significant reason for mac fans (like myself) to distrust and even hate Google. Eric Schmidt is a back stabbing, lying, egotistical SOB. You only have to read some of his quotes regarding privacy and date to see what I mean. To be entrusted to the board of Apple, and then to turn around and do what he did is simply inexcusable and unethical. He knew what Google was developing and straight out lied to Steve J, as detailed in his video interiew with Walt Mossberg. Eric should have resigned from the board right away, but I guess he figured while he was in the hen house, might as well swipe some golden eggs. Apple should have known better anyway.
Not only that, but the data mining Google does with their google map cars is inexcusable. It is one thing to willingly give data to them or any other company, but for them to actively collect it is another story.
I think Larry and Serge had a different vision for the ethics of their company, but this was thrown out the door with Eric and they see the tide of opinion turning somewhat against Google. Now its time for them to redirect the ship.
I doubt Eric was responsible for the Android direction. Wasn’t it Sergey who bought it without consulting the rest of the triumvirate?
http://www.businessinsider.com/larry-and-sergey-didnt-always-tell-eric-schmidt-about-googles-acquisitions-2011-1
“Executive Chairman is a euphemism for Kicked Upstairs.”
Kicked where?
@papasmack I don’t disagree with you. Depending on my mood I go from being indifferent/passive to feeling similar to what you’ve said.
So, I thought Sergey and Larry idolized Steve. I wonder if booting Eric up/out, is sort of like Disney getting rid of Eisner so that they could be on better terms with Pixar.
We’ll see if relations between Google and Apple improve.
MDN, another great takes. These are the takes I have been accustomed to. Not those Leo Laportes meely mouth responses you have been giving lately.
It occurs to me that Google is doing what Microsoft has always done, copy Apple. Jobs left, came back to Apple and made history. So maybe Google is hoping the same thing will happen to them. Don’t bet the farm on it, however.
One of your best takes MDN.
Peace.
Google has just become sort of boring. In the end it was mostly hype. It was fun for a while.