Google Speaks: Secrets of the World's Greatest Billionaire Entrepreneurs, Sergey Brin and Larry Page

8.1. NEW MANAGEMENT STYLE

Their venture capitalists closely watched the young business enterprise's development and pressed the founders to add another member to top management, but Sergey and Larry took their time recruiting a chief executive officer. Eventually they found one who suited them. At first, they didn't give him the chief executive's title, but in time, Eric Schmidt took on the CEO position, with the Google boys serving as co-presidents. Schmidt handles almost all the key reports. Larry and Sergey are then free to pursue the creative side of the business.

This doesn't mean, however, that Brin and Page were willing to relinquish control. It is understood at Google that the founders have the final say on all major decisions. Apparently, getting the weigh-in gets more difficult as the presidents become increasingly busy.

Larry explained how the triumvirate that runs Google works:

Eric has the legal responsibilities of the CEO and focuses on management of our vice presidents and the sales organization. Sergey focuses on engineering and business deals. I focus on engineering and product management. All three of us devote considerable time to overall management of the company and other fluctuating needs.^[]

"The goal of the company is not to monetize everything. Our goal is to change the world. Monetization is a technology to pay for it,"^[] says Eric Schmidt. And yet, two words heard repeatedly around Google are scale and monetize. These words speak to the questions, Can ...