Google CEO Larry Page invokes Steve Jobs in interview, defends ambitious Google X projects
In a wide-ranging interview published Friday, Google CEO Larry Page briefly touched on late Apple cofounder Steve Jobs to highlight the differences between the two companies, one being hyper-focused on a small set of products and another with fingers in seemingly everything.
Page's mention of Jobs came in response to a question from the Financial Times regarding the limitations naturally imposed on a single technology company attempting to remain relevant in a quickly changing landscape.
"He would always tell me, 'You're doing too much stuff.' I'd be like, 'You're not doing enough stuff,'" Page said of Jobs. The Google exec explained to Jobs, "It's unsatisfying to have all these people, and we have all these billions we should be investing to make people's lives better. If we just do the same things we did before and don't do something new, it seems like a crime to me."
Aside from its ad business, search engine and Android operations, Google has expanded to a number of other bleeding edge industries in hopes of tapping in to future tech before it becomes the "next big thing."
So far, it seems the company is intent on creating tech hegemonies in areas like smart home products, health and robotics. The latter is most apparent with Google's high-profile driverless car initiative and major investments like last year's acquisition of military contractor Boston Dynamics.
Unlike Google, Apple focuses on a few key consumer product lines, including the iPhone, iPad and Mac, only recently expanding into the world of mobile payments with Apple Pay. The Cupertino, Calif., tech giant does sink millions of dollars into research and development, always keeping secret projects tightly sealed behind closed doors. There has been little evidence that Apple is working on ambitious "moon shots," however.
While optimistic on Google's chances to make it in next-generation tech, Page acknowledges the difficulty of being a successful leader across .
"What Steve said is right - 'you, Larry, can only manage so many things,'" Page said.
Page's mention of Jobs came in response to a question from the Financial Times regarding the limitations naturally imposed on a single technology company attempting to remain relevant in a quickly changing landscape.
"He would always tell me, 'You're doing too much stuff.' I'd be like, 'You're not doing enough stuff,'" Page said of Jobs. The Google exec explained to Jobs, "It's unsatisfying to have all these people, and we have all these billions we should be investing to make people's lives better. If we just do the same things we did before and don't do something new, it seems like a crime to me."
Aside from its ad business, search engine and Android operations, Google has expanded to a number of other bleeding edge industries in hopes of tapping in to future tech before it becomes the "next big thing."
So far, it seems the company is intent on creating tech hegemonies in areas like smart home products, health and robotics. The latter is most apparent with Google's high-profile driverless car initiative and major investments like last year's acquisition of military contractor Boston Dynamics.
Unlike Google, Apple focuses on a few key consumer product lines, including the iPhone, iPad and Mac, only recently expanding into the world of mobile payments with Apple Pay. The Cupertino, Calif., tech giant does sink millions of dollars into research and development, always keeping secret projects tightly sealed behind closed doors. There has been little evidence that Apple is working on ambitious "moon shots," however.
While optimistic on Google's chances to make it in next-generation tech, Page acknowledges the difficulty of being a successful leader across .
"What Steve said is right - 'you, Larry, can only manage so many things,'" Page said.
Comments
Get rid of all the research projects that had nothing to do with the core business.
Google: Jack of all trades, master of one.
F this guy.
"It's unsatisfying to have all these people, and we have all these billions we should be investing to make people's lives better. If we just do the same things we did before and don't do something new, it seems like a crime to me."
What a douche. Painting Steve with a brush that he was not focusing on improving peoples lives.
Aside from its ad business, search engine and Android operations, Google has expanded to a number of other bleeding edge industries in hopes of tapping in to future tech before it becomes the "next big thing."
I like how Page slyly implies Apple isn't doing enough with its "billions," as if pushing more Viagra ads out onto the Internet isn't a "crime." Of course, in the search for the "next big thing," Google's products are (as Steve said) "shit." Maybe Google will get the watch right now that Apple has shown them how its done.
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All fluff and no meat - reads like a PR piece - No talk of monopoly power, state department influence, NSA, evil eric's future, google + fail, sales of glass...
And they didn't ask him why Andy "Android" left?
Pretty much. Jobs did more to improve people's lives and change the planet than Google will ever do.
Pretty much. Jobs did more to improve people's lives and change the planet than Google will ever do.
Agreed.
With the rate Apple accelerated industries, like with the PC, it makes me question whether Google would even be around if Steve had not made Apple.
Would Google be something that came 5-10 years later, and by that time Page had left university and worked for HP or something. Who knows.
The principle designer for Inbox is a fellow NeXT Alum who wrote DBKit [and of course didn't leave on good terms by fucking us on a project called Soups which was true collaborative editing just now seeing some promise around the industry].
Not related to soups on the Newton, is it?
Just look at phones, tablets, TV boxes, and everything else Google has tried to duplicate, with resounding failure. It's trying lots of things but has very little to show for all this. It still makes the majority of its money from desktop advertising, the same thing it was doing in 2005.
Apple's few new things have each turned into massive new businesses. The iPhone is a $100B business, but iPad is now a $30 billion business just 4 years after it was introduced, iTunes and the App Store are an $18 billion business, Apple TV and accessories are a $6 billion business, and Apple is launching Apple Pay and Watch as entirely new business segments.
Google sells $55 billion of ads and invests in a lot of things that haven't really taken off or have completely flopped. It's all beta concepts that never take flight.
So lets just copy Apple's products. Now that's something "new" and makes people's lives better!!
I've heard it called the "two of everything strategy." It's not that Apple doesn't use that internally--for example, setting Scott Forstall's and Tony Fadell's teams to come up with competing OS strategies for the iPhone, but Apple chooses ONE solution before selling it to the public.
I think it's great that Google is doing all this research, but Larry has ADD for sure. Glass? You all like your $1500 beta Glass? I'd love a Google car. When will they be for sale? Betcha never. Oh, and Wallet, yes, Google was the first to have a pay mechanism via NFC on its phones. Apple will be the one that makes it work.