Thursday, January 20, 2011

I Will Not Miss Eric

Image representing Larry Page as depicted in C...Image via CrunchBaseI am a big believer in the idea of the Founder CEO, and I will not miss Eric.
New York Times: Shake-Up at Google as Co-Founder Takes Over: Mr. Schmidt said Mr. Page would “merge Google’s technology and business vision,” while he would focus on external issues, like “deals, partnerships, customers and broader business relationships.” .... “I don’t think he was pushed aside, but he may have been nudged,” he said, adding that between the two founders, Mr. Page always appeared more interested in eventually becoming chief executive. ..... In the unusual management “troika,” Mr. Auletta said, Mr. Page’s voice always carried the most weight.
Also, the cofounder thing is a myth. Larry Page was always the senior among the two founders. I admire Sergey plenty, but credit is where credit is due.

Google Blog: An Update From The Chairman When I joined Google in 2001 I never imagined—even in my wildest dreams—that we would get as far, as fast as we have today. Search has quite literally changed people’s lives—increasing the collective sum of the world’s knowledge and revolutionizing advertising in the process. And our emerging businesses—display, Android, YouTube and Chrome—are on fire. ..... Larry will now lead product development and technology strategy, his greatest strengths, and starting from April 4 he will take charge of our day-to-day operations as Google’s Chief Executive Officer. In this new role I know he will merge Google’s technology and business vision brilliantly. .... As friends, co-workers and computer scientists we have a lot in common, most important of all a profound belief in the potential for technology to make the world a better place.
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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your title is a little stilting, like you're dismissing Eric Schmidt completely.

I don't get that impression, from browsing your blog archive. And, like you said, you believe in the idea of the Founder CEO. But first impressions suggest that power at Google isn't shifting that dramatically, that Page's CEO title-to-be is mostly nominal.

What's more, Page was CEO once before. He's likely attained some business savvy since then, most likely with Schmidt's guidance.

So given all of that, can you expound on the benefits of the Founder CEO idea? Especially how it relates to Page's new role?

Paramendra Kumar Bhagat said...

You are right about the fact that I like and have liked Eric Schmidt. He has been one of the titans of the tech industry, and will continue to be.

And I love Google like some people love Apple. But Schmidt has also got in the way when Page has more forcefully wanted do the browser and the operating system. I hope this change in the power structure will make Google much more gungho about the Chrome OS.

My post was less about Schmidt and more about the idea of the Founder CEO. I like the idea. Zuck is a prime example.