Google co-founder Larry Page - aweigend Photo

Google co-founder Sergey Brin - Joi Ito Photo

Video Beat MAX Part 2 - GOOGLE FOUNDERS LARRY PAGE & SERGEY BRIN featured on GAME CHANGES

James Loving - National Radio Text Service

Bloomberg TV's Game Changers went overboard with their feature of Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin in making a one hour show while previous programs were consigned to a half hour. The allotted time of the program is justified as it reveals how one of the most powerful companies in the world came together and went sonic with success within two years as the two creators were on the road to become billionaires - Recommended TV Listings

Sunday November 27, 2011

FROM DON'T BE EVIL TO BIG BROTHER

Today is the day to watch Bloomberg TV's Game Changers program in Southeast Asia as it features Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin in their quest to create one of the world most powerful companies. Along the way they changed their attitude and behaviors from don't be evil to being perceived as Big Brother the terror that is watching every move you make and knows more about you then yourself.

As usual in a Game Changers biopic the two entrepreneurs respectfully declined to participate in the program. The Game Changers producers charged on and pieced together an excellent program with interviews of those who were involved in their growth and development including authors, professors and investors. Author Ken Auletta was a key source of information.

Auletta had a vetted interest in their story as he pointed out that they were engineers and clueless as to how things work in the world. They disrespected intellectual property laws including his work as they were scanning books without permission and making it available on Google. They were gifted in engineering and creation but were short on thinking outside of their own box. He wrote the book Googled: The End of the World As We Know It (2009).

In 1998 Page dropped out of Stanford. Up to that time his education credits included a Bachelor of Science in computer engineering from the University of Michigan with honors and a Master of Science in computer science from Stanford University.

Brin immigrated to the United States from Soviet Union at the age of six. He earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Maryland, following in his father's and grandfather's footsteps by studying mathematics, as well as computer science. After graduation, he moved to Stanford to acquire a Ph.D in computer science. There he met Larry Page, with whom he later became friends. They crammed their dormitory room with inexpensive computers and applied Brin's data mining system to build a superior search engine. The program became popular at Stanford and they suspended their PhD studies to start up Google in a rented garage.

The two refined their work in a garage in Menlo Park, California while both were 25-years-old they were depicted as the type of individuals who defied anything that was said couldn't be done so they would try and do it. When Brin told college professors that he wanted to download everything on the Internet he was told it would take years. He had a self imposed deadline that he failed to achieve but saw it through until completion.

From the onset the two didn't like each other each thinking that the other was arrogant. It was mentioned that the chemistry worked in their favor as they respected each other and worked well together. One Stanford professor said the Page would just walk into his office without knocking and invited in while Brin would knock and then walk in also without being invited.

The uniqueness of the two and their intelligence and talent were noted throughout the program by scholars, authors and investors. The pair brainstormed and realized that all web sites had behind their web pages information of other sites that were linked to the site indicating that the web site had a large audience of readers.

In seeking seed money they were turned down time after time including a refusal from Yahoo. Eventually a Stanford professor who also was involved with Sum Microsystems was shown the idea and he loved it. To their surprise he wrote them a check for $100 thousand thus becoming their first investor. Since they only had a web site registration and weren't set up as an official company they couldn't cash the check.

Amazon's Jeff Bezos invested a quarter of a million dollars in their idea. Investment angels followed to fatten up their coffers to a million dollars. As the money came so did investor questions as to when and how would they monetize Google. Their answer was simple and with a smile their reply was, "Oh We'll figure that out."

The breakthrough came via the company having a 20% project where the employees could brainstorm and pitch ideas. One employee came up with the ad words concept and that set the company off and running for the bigger bucks.

Humor was inserted into the show when long time media mogul Barry Diller had a meeting with Page and Diller was annoyed as Page would be talking while throughout the meeting be reading and testing at the same time on his PDA. Diller said you can't do both and gave Page an ultimatum what would he rather do focus on the meeting or fiddle with his PDA? Page said, "I choose this."

The program walks through the changes in the company as investors recognized that the pair lacked management skills while the company had grown enormously from the 40 employees that they started with. Every employee hired at Google had to show their SAT scores. The two Stanford grad school drop-outs had their on way of doing things. Employees were given massages during work hours and the staff were fed health food. On the Google campus people got around on scooters and roller blades.

When Eric Schmidt was recommended the two partners weren't keen on the idea of hiring him. They felt Schmidt being is 18 years their senior was too old to run a company of youthful employees. They acquiesced after they became aware that Schmidt went to a wild concert in the desert. They didn't elaborate on that but apparently it was a 60's type of soul searching music festival.

Schmidt joined Google's board of directors as chairman in March 2001 and became the company's CEO in August 2001. At Google, Schmidt shared responsibility for Google's daily operations with Page and Brin.

The major move was when Google went public August 19th 2004. On their first day the stock closed just over a $100 a share totaling $23 billion. While challenging convention the two became instant billionaires and each are now worth $16.7 billion at 38-years of age.

This program is a MUST WATCH TODAY with several viewings beginning at 8AM Hong Kong/Singapore or 9 AM Bangkok/Jakarta/Cambodia.

Please note the schedule below.

Part 3 - GOOGLE'S BIG BROTHER REPUTATION & RED FLAGS

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