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Steve Jobs was top choice for Google CEO
Steven Levy's new book, In The Plex: How Google Thinks, Works, and Shapes Our Lives, has some interesting insights regarding the relationship between Steve Jobs and Google throughout the years. Perhaps most interesting is the fact that when Sergey Brin and Larry Page were looking around for a new CEO, their first choice was Jobs. Jobs turned them down, but he saw enough in Google to see that it could be a success; he offered to mentor the two founders, going so far as to provide them with access to his closest advisers. After Jobs declined the Google CEO position, Brin and Page chose Eric Schmidt as CEO, and Schmidt also later joined Apple's board of directors. That's when things quickly took a turn for the worse. As Levy states in the book, Jobs was "furious" when he visited Google's Mountain View headquarters and saw that the Android OS sported iOS features like pinch to zoom, among others. Shortly after that visit, Jobs told an Apple town hall meeting what he really thought of Google: "We did not enter the search business. They entered the phone business. Make no mistake: they want to kill the iPhone. We won't let them [...] This don't be evil mantra? It's bullshit." The book also states that after Jobs found out about Android's similarities to iOS, he felt betrayed enough to somehow keep the development of the iPad hidden from Eric Schmidt while he was still a board member of Apple. [via The Daily Mail]
Google scores a patent for its 'Doodles'
Google's Doodles have certainly come a long way from their humble beginnings, but the company has now pulled off what may be its most jaw-dropping feat yet -- it's just been awarded a patent for them. Described as "systems and methods for enticing users to access a web site," the patent credits Google co-founder Sergey Brin as the sole inventor, and it comes more than ten years after Google first filed the application. As you might expect, the patent seems to cover some fairly broad territory, although it's not clear how or if Google actually plans to enforce it -- either way, we can only assume that some other companies who enjoy having a bit fun with their logo from time to time might have something to say about it.
Google refocuses under Larry Page; Eric Schmidt says Microsoft is bigger competition than Facebook
Now that the dust has settled from the Google CEO shuffle that will see Larry Page take the top spot from Eric Schmidt in April, it's time for the profiles of the company to hit -- and Bloomberg BusinessWeek is up first with a piece that examines the company's past and future challenges, as well the key leaders of what it calls "Google 3.0": Vic Gundotra, who's heading up a now-not-so-secret social networking initiative called Google +1, Android chief Andy Rubin, YouTube head Salar Kamangar, advertising lead Susan Wojcicki, Chrome head Sundar Pichai, and search leads Udi Manber and Amit Singhal. It's all very fascinating, and it includes some great anecdotes, like Vic Gundotra and Phil Schiller getting into an argument about user location-tracking so heated that Eric Schmidt and Steve Jobs had to intervene. Yeah, it's like that. Speaking of Eric Schmidt, he was in Davos this week, and he had some choice words for reporters on Google's competition -- and it's not Facebook. "Microsoft has more cash, more engineers, more global reach. We see competition from Microsoft every day," says Eric, while Facebook "has clearly stated they don't want to get into the search business. Facebook users tend to use Google search." As for Apple, he gave the usual line about both partnering with and competing with Cupertino, while taking a moment to laud Steve Jobs as "the most successful CEO in the world anywhere," who's built an "elegant, scalable, closed system" while "Google is attempting to do something with a completely different approach." Spoken like a true frenemy, we suppose. Check out the source links to read both pieces.
WSJ: Google 'agonizing' over user privacy, 'vision document' suggests selling data
It was just last week that the Wall Street Journal reported Microsoft's decision to limit private browsing in IE8 as part of its ongoing series on online privacy, and today the focus is on Google, which is said be "agonizing" over the balance between user privacy and advertising opportunities. It's a long piece that you should read in full, but essentially the WSJ claims that Larry Page and Sergey Brin have gone from strictly forbidding any efforts to track users online to a more subtle interpretation of their famous "don't be evil" motto which allows them to leverage user data and sell finely targeted ads without "exploiting customers." According to the WSJ, the change in attitude came with the rise of upstart ad firms that lacked Google's scruples and the search giant's purchase of DoubleClick, which led to Google's first use of cookies. What's more, once at Google, former DoubleClick exec Aitan Weinberg produced a seven-page "vision document" that outlined several strategies to profit from user data, ranging from building a "trading platform" for user data to allowing users to pay directly and get rid of ads all together. (Google says the document was for "brainstorming" and that some of the proposals are "complete non-starters.") The WSJ also says Google's working hard on that rumored social networking service to go head-to-head with Facebook, complete with a "like" button it can put across the web to build an even better profile of your likes and dislikes, and that the company is considering mixing user data from across services like Gmail and Google Checkout to make those profiles even deeper, all while trying to balance privacy, security, and legal interests. This balance appears to be causing significant tension between everyone at Google, Larry and Sergey included: the WSJ says the two founders have had shouting matches over things like selling "interest-based" ads, and that Sergey has been more reluctant than Larry to take advantage of user data. Like we said, it's a good read, so hit the source link and get to it.
Sergey Brin: Android and Chrome OS 'will likely converge over time'
When it comes to nerd obsessions, the only thing that can trump a fictional tablet developed by battling left-coast legends is the promise of a revolutionary OS from Google that relies upon nothing but a browser and the dreams of a young Larry Ellison. Don't even start with your Korean product waifs as we're trying to keep the discussion in the realm of possibilities. Now, with the weekend over, you've probably experienced the same sense of ennui we've all felt at having downloaded and tested a copy of Chrome OS. To be fair, that meh-ness is kind of what you'd expect from a browser-based OS that's meant to get out of your way. Still, it's hard not to wonder where Android and its growing application base fits into Google's long-term OS strategy especially after seeing several ARM-based smartbook prototypes running Google's smartphone OS. Fortunately, Google co-founder Sergey Brin shed some light on this topic in a candid statement following the Chrome OS event. According to CNET, Brin said that Android and the Chrome OS "will likely converge over time," noting the common Webkit and Linux foundation of both operating systems. It's unclear when this might occur however. In fact, listening to Google CEO Eric Schmidt attempt to explain the difference between Google's operating systems in a recent CNET interview leaves us wondering if Google has a clear idea of its target markets as smartphone and laptop functionality continues to converge across devices. Schmidt concedes that it's too early to tell how the OSes will be used and prefers not to "prejudge the success" of each. "The future will unfold as it does," he says, and the open-source community will determine the natural fit. Check the interview after the break -- the Android vs. Chrome OS waffling begins at the 16:30 remaining mark of the 19 minute and 11 second interview. [Original image courtesy of Rich Dellinger]
Live from Google's Chrome OS project announcement
We're sitting in a very small, very colorful meeting room where Google's just minutes of away from giving us a glimpse at Chrome OS and announcing some launch details. Stay tuned! Update: It's over! Thanks for hanging out with us, and be sure to check out Google's videos in our summary post.
Google's Schmidt initially opposed to Chrome, says Microsoft is welcome to port Internet Explorer on over
While Chrome OS is still a pretty rough sketch in our mind's eye, the Google boys have hosted a press conference to answer a few burning questions. Among the myriad revelations, it turns out Eric Schmidt wasn't stoked on building a browser when Sergey Brin and Larry Page brought it up about six years ago, given the fact that Google was still relatively small, and the browser wars were still fresh in everyone's minds. After he saw an early build of Chrome, however, he changed his tune. He says Chrome and Chrome OS are "game-changers," and Larry describes Chrome OS as the "anti-operating system" and indistinguishable from a browser. Luckily, they also hinted at some native development possibility (hopefully) outside of the browser, stating that Microsoft is free to build a version of Internet Explorer for Chrome OS if they'd like, and that it's an open source project. According to Eric: "Even if we had an evil moment, we would be unsuccessful." He also mentioned there were plenty of "commonalities" between Chrome OS and Android, and that the two might grow even closer over time. Interesting. As for his role on Apple board, Eric will be working out with those folks as to when he needs to recuse himself from OS talk like he already does with iPhone talk. Most of the rest of the talk was spent making old person digs at Schmidt, Mr. BlackBerry himself.
Google honcho Sergey Brin plans first-ever private trip to the ISS
Google co-founder Sergey Brin is about to join an extremely short list of space tourists, according to reports. The search engine-kingpin just dropped a $5 million dollar "investment" on the company Space Adventures, which all but guarantees him a seat on the outfit's next flight in 2011. The trip aboard the Russian Soyuz rocket will take Brin to the ISS in the first-ever private flight to the station (Ubuntu head Mark Shuttleworth has made the trip, though not on a private mission). The company stresses that the ride will be less about tourism and more about commercial exploration, with passengers bringing aboard experiments and taking part in flight operations. Now the only riddle left to solve is whether the last Cylon is Brin or Bezos.[Via Gear Diary]
Google hybrid car shares its juice for a price
Google -- known for its good intentions almost as much as its search engine -- has entered its nonprofit wing into the red-hot science of hybrid vehicles and energy conservation. The company's peace-sign-flashing, tie-dyed-baja-wearing dreamers are working on a number of new technologies including modded solar charged PHEVs with additional battery capacity, which are also wired for swapping energy back to the grid (possibly even earning the vehicle's owner some hard cash in the process). Apparently Google's experimental hybrid can be wirelessly monitored to determine its charge state, and power can be added or drained according to the needs of the power company (and, presumably, the vehicle's owner). No word on whether it has Gmail integration or the ability to let Sergey Brin take control and drive it into the ocean, should he wish to do so.[Via Digg]
Sergey Brin, solar phone user
Oh Sergey, those billions are serving you well. You're the first kid on your block to use a solar-powered cellphone, and not some crappy solar charger? Ok, we'd wager his phone isn't entirely solar-powered, but interesting to note that when you're worth as much as this guy, it's pretty easy to save pennies here and there by spending thousands on a phone that runs from the sun's rays. We also forgot what large hands those billions can buy you, too.[Via The Raw Feed]