Eric Schmidt Out, Larry Page In As Google CEO

jfruhlinger writes "Google surprised just about everybody at its earnings call by announcing that Eric Schmidt, who had served as company CEO for more than a decade, would be stepping down and that cofounder Larry Page would take over. Schmidt will stay on as chairman and provide 'technology thought leadership,' whatever that is. When Schmidt, an old Sun hand, joined Google in 2001, it was seen as a move to turn the scrappy upstart into a mature company; now on his Twitter feed Schmidt proclaims that his 'adult supervision' is no longer needed."

Comments

Well, I guess we can say...

[teh31337one]

Schmidt Happens

Re:Freaked out for a second

[spun]

I briefly confused Larry Page with Larry Ellison. Whew. That would be terrible.

How could you confuse a rock and roll guitar legend with a diminutive, bombastic sci-fi writer?

Beginning of the end?

[bigsexyjoe]

He says he doesn't need "adult supervision" anymore? Well the child is the worst to judge these things.

If Schmidt is such a good CEO, why change the setup? Page just thinks he'd be a better CEO because it is human nature to believe such things. I think this is an ego driven move and it could turn out very badly. At least they are keeping Schmidt on in a high level role.

Re:Beginning of the end?

[Lemmy Caution]

Perhaps because Google has been playing catch-up for too long, and Schmidt's strategy has been too caution, too safe, too corporate. There have been a lot of failures and disappointments coming out of the Googleplex recently, and Google needs to recover some of the optimism and energy of its earlier years. Morale is rather low; a lot of their best researchers have left. The "always in beta" aspect doesn't work anymore, because it contradicts their "the cloud is ready for primetime" narrative.

A big change was needed. I'm just surprised they did it.

Re:Beginning of the end?

[alvinrod]

The probably dropped him as CEO because he just comes off as creepy and not giving a damn about privacy; and this from the CEO of a company that's collecting information about everything and everyone. His insights and abilities are probably appreciated, but when he's in front of a camera he ends up saying something stupid that makes Google look evil. Here's an example from the WSJ. Here's another from the Atlantic. The crap he says makes him sound like someone who's Google's enemy and trying to scaremonger the public.

Re:Beginning of the end?

[farnsworth]

He says he doesn't need "adult supervision" anymore? Well the child is the worst to judge these things.

No, it is Eric Schmidt who said "Day-to-day adult supervision no longer needed!" It should be taken as "The founders no longer need an experienced management guy to run their company. They have matured over the last few years, and I think they'll do fine on their own."

Re:Beginning of the end?

[Red Flayer]

Offtopic, I know, but re: your sig:

There aint no pancake so thin it doesn't have two sides.

Obviously you have not had the pleasure of eating a Möbius pancake. Once you can figure out where the butter and syrup go, they are delicious.

Re:Beginning of the end?

[TheRaven64]

JWZ wrote that the beginning of the end of Netscape was when they stopped hiring people who were there because they wanted to change the world, and started hiring people who were there because they thought it was a cool place to work. I've visited Google offices a few times in the last couple of years, and everyone I've asked has told me that they're there because it's a cool place to work...

Re:Beginning of the end?

[TheGratefulNet]

I interviewed there a few times (separate occasions). it IS a cool place TO BE. to work? not sure, but certainly VERY comfortable to BE.

I am quite sure its why most people are there. that and they can turn a blind eye to the fact that they are the power behind 'ad[vertising] men'. yup, just a newfangled advertising company. but its VERY cool to be on that campus, eat free lunches (gourmet, really), collect free cool phones and toys and have super company name recognition.

but how many *believe* in what they do, or the ulterior motives of the megacorp? do they realize that they help the Big Co eat away our privacy? they look the other way and plan what they'll have for lunch.

easy to understand if you've been there or even been around it.

but again, few who see what the company is really about would be behind it. if it wasn't such a comfy status-clad place, few would want to contribute to what google is actually about.

(data collection on you and targeted advertising. you think that's all noble lofty stuff? really?)

Re:Beginning of the end?

[Lemmy Caution]

Those are the steps of a business trying to improve morale, not the steps of a business with high morale.

Schmidt to take over Apple?

[BitterKraut]

I don't see how this could be a smart move for Google. Page and Brin may have become too big for their boots, but I suspect something else. Perhaps Schmidt will follow Steve Jobs to lead Apple.

Re:Schmidt to take over Apple?

[DragonWriter]

I don't see how this could be a smart move for Google. Page and Brin may have become too big for their boots, but I suspect something else.

The official explanation seems plausible: its streamlining operations and clarifying roles and responsibilities in an organization where three people have been functionally working together as co-leaders (and, in a sense, will continue to do so.)

Perhaps Schmidt will follow Steve Jobs to lead Apple.

Staying on as "executive chairman" without being CEO and still keeping primary responsibility for most of the "business" (non-technical) operations suggest that that's not all that likely.

Re:First Jobs, now Schmidt

[MrEricSir]

I think they should keep Ballmer for the entertainment value.

Re:Freaked out for a second

[spun]

I did as well. Do no evil, Larry Ellison edition...

You misspelled know.

Re:Freaked out for a second

[Locke2005]

Jagger is the darker-skinned one with the wider nose.

Re:Freaked out for a second

[Lemmy Caution]

Thank you for the briefing, Ambassador Obvious of the Planet Literal.

In other news

[should_be_linear]

Hours after suspension of adult supervision, new CEO Larry Page gave Android Platform to Apple in exchange for remote controlled car and a two video games.

Re:In other news

[Anonymous Coward]

In his defense it was a really cool remote controlled iCar.

Re:Freaked out for a second

[nathana]

I did as well. Do no evil, Larry Ellison edition...

You misspelled know.

You misspelled "now."

Hopefully Schmidt's privacy ideas leave with him

[schwit1]

http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/09/google-mocked/

"If you have something that you don’t want anyone to know, maybe you shouldn't be doing it in the first place."

"I think that over time, on the internet, there will be less anonymity. And I actually think that's good"

Re:First Jobs, now Schmidt

[exomondo]

while(1){ printf("developers "); }

Re:Freaked out for a second

[camperslo]

Will an analysis of the swap reveal Page faults?

If that were the case, he'd never have joined

[rsborg]

I'm sure Schmidt was comfortably rich after being the CTO of Sun and the CEO of Novell.

Guys like him don't do it for the (extra) money, but because they want to be/do something important.

Clearly threatened by a real competitor in search?

[rsborg]

DuckDuckGo :-)

Re:Hopefully Schmidt's privacy ideas leave with hi

[_Sprocket_]

http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/09/google-mocked/

"If you have something that you don’t want anyone to know, maybe you shouldn't be doing it in the first place."

What's more interesting is the next piece:

But if you really need that kind of privacy, the reality is that search engines, including Google, do retain this information for some time. And [...] we're all subject, in the US, to the Patriot Act, and it is possible that that information could be made available to the authorities.

Schmidt is telling us that Google is being served PATRIOT Act notices without breaking the law and telling us that they're being served. It's a pity everyone is hung up on the nothing-to-hide idiocy. Of course, it's little wonder we're missing the important pieces when served up ham-fisted attacks by the likes of Consumer Watchdog.

Sell GOOG

[BulletMagnet]

Hmmmm....Maybe Schmidt sees the handwriting on the wall, like he did with the last employer he left....