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Google CEO Larry Page Says "Nothing Seriously Wrong"

Posted by timothy on from the just-going-a-bit-tessier-ashpool dept.

After Larry Page bowed out from some public appearances, reader Pigskin-Referee writes with the news that "Google Inc Chief Executive Larry Page has reassured employees about his health, but the company on Friday shed little additional light on an unspecified condition affecting his voice that will sideline him from two high-profile events in the coming weeks. Page told employees in an email on Thursday that there was 'nothing seriously wrong with me,' according to a source who had seen an internal staff memo. The 39-year-old Google co-founder sat out his company's annual shareholders' meeting on Thursday because he had 'lost his voice,' according to Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt, who informed attendees of the news at the start of the event."

17 of 88 comments (clear)

  1. I hate shareholders by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    "Oh. My. GOD. HE'S NOT IMMORTAL! He suffers minor illnesses like we do! THE COMPANY IS DOOMED! DOOMED! DOOOOOOOOOOMED! Somebody reassure us he's not dead already! HE'S BEEN DEAD ALL ALONG, HASN'T HE?!? Why do these terrible things have to happen to us? Whyyyyyyyyyyyy"

    God, do I hate shareholders.

    1. Re:I hate shareholders by ArchieBunker · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Honestly I'm convinced you could replace a typical CEO with either a monkey or magic 8 ball and get similar results.

      --
      Only the State obtains its revenue by coercion. - Murray Rothbard
    2. Re:I hate shareholders by timeOday · · Score: 4, Insightful

      It's not fair to say that about Larry Page though. He invented page-rank and co-founded google. They were college students and made their own servers in pizza boxes. The worthless CEOs come in later, demanding the same pay as the founders who built the company from nothing.

    3. Re:I hate shareholders by kiwimate · · Score: 3, Insightful

      And I'm honestly convinced that if the typical Slashdotter or man-on-the-street who makes this kind of asinine comment were given free rein to replace a typical CEO they'd decimate the company's value within a month, if they didn't have half the top executives resign first.

      What do you think it actually takes to run a company? Tell me - if it's that easy, this should be trivial. Here, I'll get you started:

      * Knowledge of accounting - yes, you need this no matter what industry you're in. You simply MUST understand capital versus expense, A/R and A/P, GAPP, ratios, asset depreciation, etc. Yes, you have a CFO - but you'd better know what they're talking about
      * Knowledge of risk management.
      * Extremely detailed and extremely broad knowledge of the industry you're in.

  2. no voice.. by TheGratefulNet · · Score: 4, Funny

    no voice means Page has been reduced to ... (puts on sunglasses) ... a paragraph!

    --

    --
    "It is now safe to switch off your computer."
  3. IRC by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 3, Funny

    Why can't the channel op voice him again?

    --
    Ezekiel 23:20
    1. Re:IRC by Crasoose · · Score: 2

      Maybe his fingers are broken too, that would explain why he hasn't posted any updates to his Google+ in a month.

  4. Robot speak by WilyCoder · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Lost his voice? That doesn't seem to make Hawking miss any meetings...

    1. Re:Robot speak by DrEldarion · · Score: 2

      To be honest, it wouldn't be much different than his normal voice. Maybe he'd sound a little more robotic than froggy, I guess.

  5. The conspiratorial side of this was getting silly by jo_ham · · Score: 2

    The suggestions that he wasn't really sick, or that perhaps he should be willing to be tracked by his new employee GPS locating thing in a vague hint that he wasn't in the hospital reminds me of some of the more outlandish stuff about Steve Jobs in the last years of his life.

    He's just a guy, and sometimes people get sick. It doesn't spell doom and gloom, or a sudden change in fortune or prophetic suggestion about the company's fortunes. It just means the local chemist will sell a few more Lemsip boxes near his house.

  6. This is news? by slack_justyb · · Score: 4, Informative

    Okay so he's got Laryngitis or something similar. Why the hell are people thinking this is news? I get Laryngitis from acid reflux from time to time, a couple of weeks Zantec usually clears it up, and I'm good for like the rest of the year.

    I hate making Steve Jobs references, but I think news media is still hung up on mysterious health issues equaling pancreatic cancer or some similar terminal disease. Dude is unable to talk, and the company reports that it is not serious like most other health issues. For all we know the inability to speak is due to some contagious pathogen and he just wants to lay low so no one gets it, while he gets over it. I'm sure when Page was contemplating taking a leave of absence for a little spell, he didn't realize that he needed a press release to go along with it.

    Of course there is the alternative theory could be that Page just had his meditation chamber installed and he's taking it for a spin. You know, if you're in that camp where Google is evil and all.

  7. Reputation by slasho81 · · Score: 2

    I'd have doubts if this statement came from almost any other CEO of a major company. But I believe Page.

  8. Don't worry about health of billionaires. by leftie · · Score: 2

    Billionaires get GREAT heath care

    Worry about everyone else's health care.

  9. Page Should Take Inspiration from His Role Model by RobotRunAmok · · Score: 4, Funny

    Darth Vader did most of his best work after he lost his voice. I mean, c'mon, his focus is on Doing Evil, not singing friggin' madrigals, let's not make too much of this...

  10. Larry has backup by erice · · Score: 2

    If Larry can't speak, it's not big deal to send in Sergey or Eric Schmidt. That's an advantage to rule by triumvirate. No single leader is indispensable. That is in sharp contrast to Apple where Steve Jobs was believed to be the on true voice and visionary of the company.

  11. Drat, trackpad pressed "submit" by kiwimate · · Score: 4, Informative

    Okay, starting again...

    * Knowledge of accounting - yes, you need this no matter what industry you're in. You simply MUST understand capital versus expense, A/R and A/P, GAPP, ratios, asset depreciation, etc. Yes, you have a CFO - but you'd better know what they're talking about
    * Knowledge of risk management.
    * Extremely detailed and extremely broad knowledge of the industry you're in.
    * Knowledge of the *market* of your industry
    * Strong analytics
    * Strong skills in prioritizing
    * Ability to explain very technical aspects of your industry to the layman
    * Strategic wisdom
    * Be a motivator
    * Know where to ask for answers if you don't have them
    * Ability to keep your mouth shut when necessary (talking to politicians and lobbyists, for instance)

  12. Looks like they're trying to copy Apple again by thetoadwarrior · · Score: 2

    First Jobs kicks the bucket and now Page has to. Do they have no shame?