Eric Schmidt
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Eric Schmidt stepping down as Google CEO
Looks like Steve's (former?) BFF Eric Schmidt is stepping down as CEO of Google, leaving co-founder Larry Page in charge of the company as the new CEO. A rather astounding rearranging of the deck chairs, but also the logical progression of affairs. Larry and Sergey Brin (who either drew the long or short straw here) are the brains behind Google's mighty algorithm, and there's little doubt they are smart guys who know how to get things done. Brin "has decided to devote his time and energy to strategic projects," including "new products." Neat! Where does this leave Apple and Google in terms of frenemies? With Google entering the mobile space with a vengeance, only time will tell. We think Apple is looking to extricate itself from their partnership, given moves towards possibly replacing the default Google Maps app (while also extending their deal a while longer), but there's no denying Google's influence in tech has impacted even our favorite fruit-flavored consumer electronics maker.
Larry Page taking over as Google CEO, Eric Schmidt will remain as Executive Chairman
Google's Q4 financial results press release contains a bombshell: as of April 4, co-founder Larry Page (on the far right, above) will replace Eric Schmidt as CEO and assume responsibility for day-to-day operations and product development and strategy. That doesn't mean Schmidt is leaving -- he'll carry on as Executive Chairman and serve as an advisor to Page and co-founder Sergey Brin, focused on external things like "deals, partnerships, customers and broader business relationships, government outreach and technology thought leadership." As for Sergey, he'll now "devote his energy to strategic projects, in particular working on new products," with the simple title of Co-Founder. Schmidt's clarified and explained the change in a blog post, saying that the idea is to make leading Google as efficient as possible, and that "Larry, in my clear opinion, is ready to lead." It's clear the idea is to frame this as a simple organizational shuffle -- Schmidt says that he, Brin, and Page "anticipate working together for a long time to come" -- but there's no question that Schmidt's reign as CEO set a clear tone for Google as the company expanded beyond search and into new markets like smartphones, connected televisions, and operating systems, and we're curious to see what Page's style is like. We're also very curious to hear more about why the change was made -- although Schmidt, Page, and Brin have worked together for over 10 years, there's always been some tension between the co-founders and their CEO, particularly over user privacy. In any event, this is a momentous change both for Google and the industry -- we'll see what happens next.
Eric Schmidt lays out three priorities for Google: LTE, mobile money, inexpensive smartphones
He didn't exactly go on at length about them, but Google CEO Eric Schmidt has laid out three clear priorities for the company in a brief guest article for the Harvard Business Review -- and, not surprisingly, they're "all about mobile." Those include focusing on "developing the underlying fast networks," or what Schmidt notes is "generally called LTE," pushing the development of NFC-based "mobile money" and, last but not least, increasing the availability of inexpensive smartphones in the poorest parts of the world. On that latter point, Schmidt seems to be especially optimistic, saying that he envisions "literally a billion people getting inexpensive, browser-based touchscreen phones over the next few years." Hit up the source link below to read Schmidt's take on the "big mobile revolution" for yourself.
Apple employees love Steve Jobs
Silicon Alley Insider has put together a chart that shows the approval ratings employees have for various CEOs at major tech companies. The chart is based on data from Glassdoor.com and reveals that Steve Jobs is the most-favored CEO, ranked by his own employees, followed closely by Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook and Eric Schmidt of Google. Employees at struggling Yahoo give their CEO, Carol Bartz, a high-50s point rating, while outspoken Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer, comes in last place out of the companies listed in the chart. Earlier this year Barron's published a list of tech's most-respected CEOs which put Steve Jobs in the number one spot and called him "the world's most valuable CEO."
Nexus S teaser by Eric Schmidt now available on video
Ah, the "unannounced product" that Eric Schmidt brought along for his latest interview -- you want to see more of it, don't you? We know you do, so we've naturally tracked down the full 44-minute marathon chat session between Eric and his Web 2.0 Summit hosts, which thankfully kicks off by delving right into the phone that we know and love under the Nexus S name. Notably, the Google chief never calls it that explicitly, though he takes a moment to stress that in the past he was quoted as saying there'd never be a Nexus Two, not that there'd never be a Nexus successor at all. See the whole thing unfold after the break. [Thanks, Thomas]
The Nexus S: a closer look
Google CEO Eric Schmidt showed the world the Nexus S from a distance just a little while ago, but we knew you'd want more, and so we managed to convince the man to show us the device in person just a few minutes ago. What should you know about the heir apparent to the Nexus One? Well, it's exceptionally thin -- we weren't able to compare, but we'd say it's at least comparable with an iPhone 4 if not slimmer still -- and it's thinner in the middle than at either end, giving it a mildly concave profile. There's a glossy plastic bezel up front housing an AMOLED screen, a pair of discrete volume buttons on the left side, and a black plastic back (textured similarly to the BlackBerry Bold, though patchier) which seemed too roughly manufactured to be anything but a prototype. We saw the handset for all of three seconds and weren't able to snap a single picture nor touch it for ourselves, but as Schmidt walked away he left us with one last lingering look at Gingerbread -- the screen shutting off. When he pressed the power button, the image winked out like an old CRT TV, an animation which you'll see a carbon copy of right after the break. %Gallery-107479%
Eric Schmidt: Chrome OS aimed at keyboard based solutions, Android optimized for touch
We'll be the first to admit that we've been slightly confused about where Google's Chrome OS will fit in with Android becoming the OS of choice for tablet manufacturers, so naturally we took the opportunity to ask Google CEO Eric Schmidt about the two operating systems while he was on stage at the Web 2.0 summit. Schmidt confirmed that Chrome OS will officially be out in the next few months in Intel and ARM-powered netbooks while also adding that the OS was primarily "designed around something with a keyboard." Of course, that doesn't mean Chrome OS couldn't pop up on tablets -- he added that because it's open source anything can happen, but he definitely stressed that Chrome is meant for clamshell devices with keyboards and Android tailored for those with touchscreens. Sounds good to us Schmidt, now we'll just be needing the details on those Chrome-books...
Eric Schmidt shows off a Nexus S at the Web 2.0 summit, says Gingerbread coming in 'next few weeks'
We had a feeling Eric Schmidt would be doing something surprising at the Web 2.0 summit, and the man didn't disappoint -- he just showed off the Nexus S running on T-Mobile, and revealed it has NFC features, a technology he thinks will eventually replace credit cards. Unfortunately, he also called it an "unannounced phone" from an "announced manufacturer," and the logo was taped over, so we're not any closer to a release date here. Update: We've added some more pics to the gallery, including some close-ups that show the carrier is indeed T-Mo. We'll let you know if Schmidt drops any more details on this thing. Update 2: Schmidt said Gingerbread would be out in the "next few weeks," so we're assuming this bad boy will come along with it. %Gallery-107479%
Google's Eric Schmidt says Android is profitable, could eventually be a $10 billion business
It may not exactly be a huge surprise given the recent market share numbers, but Google CEO Eric Schmidt has recently confirmed that Android is, in fact, profitable for the company. Of course, it doesn't make all that money from Android directly, but Schmidt says that Android-based phones are already generating enough advertising revenue to cover the cost of development. What's more, while he doesn't provide any current specific numbers, Schmidt did say that he expects there to someday be one billion Android phones in the world, and that if each one generated just $10 per user per year it would be a $10 billion business -- or, as Newsweek notes, about half of Google's total revenue for this year. That's just a tidbit from the full Newsweek piece, though -- hit up the source link below to read the whole thing, which also includes a bit of perspective from Google's Andy Rubin.
Google's Schmidt says requiring stock Android would violate 'the principle of open source'
The suggestion has been made countless times that manufacturers who customize their devices' builds of Android (that is to say, nearly all of them) should have the decency to offer users the option of reverting to a completely clean, stock version of the platform if they so choose. The concept came up at a press lunch featuring Google CEO Eric Schmidt last week, and the dude responded with an interesting explanation for why they don't require that of their partners: "if we were to put those type of restrictions on an open source product, we'd be violating the principle of open source." Of course, "the principle of open source" is open to wild differences in interpretation, the source of well over 20 years worth of intense debate in the developer community and the reason why countless types and versions of open source licenses exist (GPL, BSD, MIT, and so on). We'd also argue that the fact that Google is allegedly placing a range of arbitrary restrictions on certified devices (that is, those that feature the Market and other Google apps) gives them the platform they need to impose one more... but hey, Schmidt's an opinionated guy, and until Android stops growing by leaps and bounds, there's probably not a great capitalism-inspired argument that can be made here. Peep the video of the luncheon after the break.
Google's Eric Schmidt faces off with Stephen Colbert
Last night the man behind the Keep Fear Alive campaign sat down with one of tech's luminaries -- Google's Eric Schmidt -- for a frank discussion about just exactly what it is that his company does. While the focus was on Google's precarious relationship with our personal data, it would be hard to sum up the entirety of the conversation in a quick post (that's why Skynet invented video). It is interesting to see Schmidt dodging what are incisive and extremely sharp questions (though veiled in sarcasm they may be) from Mr. Colbert. Put aside the next five minutes or so and do yourself a favor: watch the thing.
Google Earth 3.1 for iOS gets its ocean layer, Eric Schmidt's undersea base conspicuously absent
Google's recent addition of ocean layer content and ocean bathymetry (which, we were shocked to discover, had nothing to do with bathing) meant that Android users finally got access to underwater locales on the Google Earth. No need to feel left out anymore, iOS users -- Google Earth 3.1 for iPod Touch, iPad and the iPhone is finally yours as well, with over a hundred pictures and videos and native support for the Retina display. Check out the App Store to get started, or (if it's your wont) simply snap the QR code after the break.
Google adding 'social layer' to its services, doesn't call it Google Me yet
Eric Schmidt's been doing a bit of socializing at yesterday's Zeitgeist event and today we're hearing his tiny little web outfit is planning on adding new "social layers" to its core services this fall. Rather than attempting to conquer the social sphere with one flagship product, Google will start rolling out more social networking features in an effort to enhance and enrich its present offerings. This will be done by keeping up a steady flow of acquisitions, says Schmidt. Hey, it might not be the big gun we expected El Goog to bring to this fight, but then a Zerg rush of small additions might be just what the Facebook-hating doctor would recommend here.
Google and Verizon's net neutrality proposal explained
After a week of rumors hinting at Google and Verizon brokering some sort of net neutrality "deal," the two companies made some waves this afternoon with a hastily-arranged press call during which CEOs Eric Schmidt and Ivan Seidenberg emphatically denied any sort of formal business arrangement and instead put forth what they called a "joint policy proposal" -- seven principles they say will preserve the open internet while allowing network operators the flexibility and freedom to manage their networks. What's interesting is that the announcement comes just few days after the FCC declared its closed-door net-neutrality meetings with ISPs and other interested parties to be dead -- it's odd for Google and Verizon to claim their new proposal is just an extension of their joint statement in general support of net neutrality from last October when it's very clearly an articulation of a specific plan that was undoubtedly proposed and rejected during those failed meetings. Now, we don't know for sure what happened, but we've got a theory: the proposal reads to us like Verizon's basically agreeing to trade neutrality on its wired networks for the right to control its wireless network any way it wants -- apart from requiring wireless carriers and ISPs to be "transparent" about network management, none of the neutrality principles that govern wired networks will apply to wireless networks. That's a big deal -- it's pretty obvious that wireless broadband will be the defining access technology for the next generation of devices and services. But you know us, and we don't do hysterics when we can do reasoned analysis instead -- so grab a copy of the official Verizon / Google Legislative Framework Proposal right here and let's break it down step by step, shall we?
Google's Larry Page: Steve Jobs is 'rewriting history' by saying Android came after the iPhone
Steve Jobs might have thought he was lightly playing down reports that the Apple / Google rivalry had dramatically changed when he said "they decided to compete with us -- we didn't go into the search business" at D8, but it appears that his phrasing didn't sit so well with Larry Page, who told Reuters yesterday that Jobs was doing a "little bit of rewriting history," and that the "characterization of us entering [the phone market] after is not really reasonable." Page, who was being interviewed alongside Eric Schmidt, also said that Google had been working on Android for "a very long time" and that the goal was always to develop phones with solid browsers to fill a market void. That's true, of course -- Google purchased Andy Rubin's Android, Inc. in 2005 -- but it's also an equally slight distortion: when Android was officially announced in November of 2007, it looked nothing like the OS we know and love today, and the SDK emulator used an image of an HTC-built prototype that had much more in common with the traditional BlackBerry than the iPhone. (Fun fact: that device eventually became the Palm Treo Pro running Windows Mobile.) It wasn't until the G1 shipped almost a year later that Android started to look more like what it is today, and we'd even argue that it wasn't until Android 2.0 hit on the OG Motorola Droid along with Verizon's Droid Does marketing campaign that the platform grew into its own unique and successful identity -- an identity that is now powerfully differentiated against the iPhone and driving accelerating device sales every quarter. So, does any of this really matter? To the tech historians, perhaps -- and Apple and Google clearly see what they're doing as historically significant. Apart from that, it's a pretty meaningless distinction; Eric Schmidt followed up Page's comment by saying that the market was big enough for the iPhone and Android to coexist, and we seriously doubt anyone's phone purchasing decision will ever turn on what platform was released first. But it's also clear that the competition between these two companies is at fever pitch, which is great news for the rest of us -- let's just hope everyone involved remembers that Jobs closed his D8 remarks by saying "just because we're competing with somebody doesn't mean we have to be rude."
Google's Larry Page says there's 'something wrong' if your Android phone's battery doesn't last all day
Cellphones and batteries. It's an eternal struggle, but one that Google's Larry Page says should at least be manageable. That topic arose at the recent Google Zeitgeist forum, where Page responded to a question about battery life on Android phones by saying that he actually found it to be "pretty good," and that "if you are not getting a day, there is something wrong." That prompted Google CEO Eric Schmidt to chime in and explain that the main culprit for excessive battery use on the phones is the transmit / receive circuit, which he says some apps are "not particularly smart about" using.
Schmidt says Chrome OS devices will be 'disposable,' priced like netbooks
You might have heard Google's Chrome OS will live entirely in the cloud, and that devices running the web-based platform will automatically back up your data on remote servers. You might think it will keep your private details safe -- as safe as anything else you trust Google to store, that is. But had you ever considered what the cloud meant for the hardware running it? CEO Eric Schmidt has. This week, he told the Atmosphere Cloud Computing Summit that Chrome OS devices will be "completely disposable" at netbook-esque price points of between $300 and $400. That's pocket change for a large IT department perhaps, but we can't imagine tossing even the cheapest Eee PC in our dustbin. How about subsidized, though? Asked whether Google might give away devices on contract, Schmidt said "Sure," adding afterwards only that his company doesn't see itself selling the data plans. We wonder what that means for the thousands of enthusiastic towns now praying for Google fiber. Hear Google's CEO for yourself after the break; info in question begins 13:33.
Eric Schmidt spreading word of an Android-based Google tablet, HP building one as well?
According to a report by The New York Times, Google's apparently looking to get into the tablet game itself. Eric Schmidt was reportedly talking up the device at a party in LA recently, saying that it would run Android exclusively -- which seems odd given that Google has been working on Chrome (a concept Chrome tablet is pictured above), but then again, we don't attend parties in LA so what do we know? Other people with "direct knowledge" of the project say Google is also hunting down publishers, operating in a "stealth mode." NY Times is also reporting that HP will be building another tablet outside the Slate, which will also run Android and has been nicknamed "the half-pint" for its 6-inch screen size (and, presumably, a feisty spirit / heart of gold). We're still unconvinced that Android is exactly appropriate for a tablet device, but if Google is indeed building its own, we're guessing we could see some tablet-friendlier software that could make Android into a true tablet contender -- how 'bout starting with the browser, Google?
Apple to announce iAd mobile advertising platform
Earlier this month, Apple posted a job listing that hinted at mobile advertising. Steve Jobs had strong words for Google when he told employees "We did not enter the search business. They [Google] entered the phone business." It was always interesting that Jobs never said anything about Apple not entering the ad business. Perhaps this is why. If iAds are announced on April 7th, you can bet Google will have some strong reactions to it. But who knows, maybe Steve was trying to break the iAd news to Eric Schmidt gently over that coffee the other day?
A look at Apple's board
The Wall Street Journal has posted an inside view on Apple's board of directors in the wake of Jerome York's death, and the image they paint is one of a tiny group of people that's strongly loyal to Jobs himself. The group of six people is the smallest board at a Fortune 500 company, and they're all basically handpicked by Jobs, who cleaned house after his return to Apple in the late '90s. He kept only two members back then whom he could trust, and has since only brought on people who will follow his direction. Not that board members aren't consulted -- York was apparently an expert at auditing and governance, and reigned in those areas. But when Jobs wanted his way, board members stayed quiet or got out -- York told the Wall Street Journal last year that he was "disgusted" by the way the company had handled the reports on Jobs' health and that he even wished he'd left the company over his disagreement. But such is Jobs' hold on the board that even York stayed quiet. And that's not likely to change in the future. While Apple's rules require them to fill the vacancy that York left, word is that it's unlikely that they'll add too much new blood to the mix. The last time a seat was vacated, when Google's Eric Schmidt left the board, they simply decided they had enough directors and moved on. While COO Tim Cook is rumored to be the best option to fill the spot, the company likely won't make a move unless Jobs says so. [via 9to5Mac]
