Editing Larry Page (section)

== Google ==
=== 1998–2000 ===
==== Founding ====
Mark Malseed wrote in a 2003 [[feature story]]:<blockquote>"Soliciting funds from faculty members, family and friends, Brin and Page scraped together enough to buy some servers and rent that famous garage in [[Menlo Park, California|Menlo Park]]. [Soon after], [[Sun Microsystems]] co-founder [[Andy Bechtolsheim]] wrote a $100,000 cheque to "Google, Inc." The only problem was, "Google, Inc." did not yet exist—the company hadn't yet been incorporated. For two weeks, as they handled the paperwork, the young men had nowhere to deposit the money."<ref name="Moment">{{cite journal|last=Malseed|first=Mark|date=February 2007|title=The Story of Sergey Brin|journal=[[Moment Magazine]]|url=http://www.oldsite.momentmag.net/moment/issues/2007/02/200702-BrinFeature.html| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130121055147/http://www.oldsite.momentmag.net/moment/issues/2007/02/200702-BrinFeature.html| archive-date=January 21, 2013 }}</ref></blockquote>In 1998,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://about.google/|title=About|access-date=February 9, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190209213207/https://about.google/|archive-date=February 9, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Brin and Page incorporated Google, Inc.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.google.com/corporate/execs.html#larry | title = Larry Page Profile | access-date = November 11, 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151009035203/https://www.google.com/about/company/facts/management#larry | archive-date = October 9, 2015 | url-status=live | df = mdy-all }}</ref> with the initial domain name of "[[Googol]]", derived from a number that consists of one followed by one hundred zeros representing the vast amount of data that the search engine was intended to explore. Using the garage in their friend [[Susan Wojcicki]]'s [[Menlo Park, California|Menlo Park]] home for $1,700 a month, Page and Brin were able to successfully build the Google search engine.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/10/business/susan-wojcicki-dead.html|title=Susan Wojcicki, Former Chief of YouTube, Dies at 56|first1=John|last1=Yoon|first2=Mike|last2=Isaac|work=New York Times|date=August 10, 2024|accessdate=August 10, 2024}}</ref> Following inception, Page appointed himself as CEO, while Brin, named Google's co-founder, was Google's president.<ref name="Car">{{cite web|author1=Nicholas Carlson|title=The Untold Story Of Larry Page's Incredible Comeback|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/larry-page-the-untold-story-2014-4?page=2|website=Business Insider|publisher=Business Insider, Inc|access-date=February 2, 2015|date=April 24, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150202215052/http://www.businessinsider.com/larry-page-the-untold-story-2014-4?page=2|archive-date=February 2, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> Writer Nicholas Carlson wrote in 2014:<blockquote>"The pair's mission was 'to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful."<ref name="Sam">{{cite news|author1=Samuel Gibbs|title=Google has 'outgrown' its 14-year-old mission statement, says Larry Page|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/nov/03/larry-page-google-dont-be-evil-sergey-brin|access-date=February 2, 2015|work=The Guardian|date=November 3, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170326053031/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/nov/03/larry-page-google-dont-be-evil-sergey-brin|archive-date=March 26, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> With a [[United States dollar|US$]]1-million loan from friends and family, the inaugural team moved into a Mountain View office by the start of 2000. In 1999, Page experimented with smaller servers so Google could fit more into each square meter of the third-party warehouses the company rented for their servers. This eventually led to a search engine that ran much faster than Google's competitors at the time."<ref name="Car"/></blockquote>

By June 2000, Google had indexed one billion Internet URLs ([[Uniform Resource Locators]]), making it the most comprehensive search engine on the Web at the time. The company cited [[NEC]] Research Institute data in its June 26 press release, stating that "there are more than 1 billion web pages online today", with Google "providing access to 560 million full-text indexed web pages and 500 million partially indexed URLs."<ref>{{cite web|title=Google Launches World's Largest Search Engine|url=http://googlepress.blogspot.com/2000/06/google-launches-worlds-largest-search.html|website=News From Google|access-date=February 2, 2015|date=June 26, 2000|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150222030713/http://googlepress.blogspot.com/2000/06/google-launches-worlds-largest-search.html|archive-date=February 22, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Early management style ====
During his first tenure as CEO, Page embarked on an attempt to fire all of Google's project managers in 2001. Page's plan involved all of Google's engineers reporting to a VP of engineering, who would then report directly to him—Page explained that he did not like non-engineers supervising engineers due to their limited technical knowledge.<ref name="Car"/> Page even documented his management tenets for his team to use as a reference:
* Do not delegate: Do everything you can yourself to make things go faster.
* Do not get in the way if you're not adding value. Let the people doing the work talk to each other while you go do something else.
* Do not be a [[bureaucrat]].
* Ideas are more important than age. Just because someone is junior does not mean they do not deserve respect and cooperation.
* The worst thing you can do is stop someone from doing something by saying, "No. Period." If you say no, you have to help them find a better way to get it done.<ref name="Car"/>

Even though Page's new model was unsustainable and led to disgruntlement among the affected employees, his issue with engineers being managed by non-engineering staff gained traction.<ref name="Max"/> Page also believed that the faster Google's search engine returned answers, the more it would be used. He fretted over [[milliseconds]] and pushed his engineers—from those who developed [[algorithm]]s to those who built [[data center]]s—to think about [[Latency (engineering)|lag times]]. He also pushed for keeping Google's home page famously sparse in its design because it would help the page load faster.<ref name="fortune.com"/>

=== 2001–2011 ===
[[File:Schmidt-Brin-Page-20080520.jpg|thumb|Left to right, [[Eric Schmidt]], [[Sergey Brin]] and Larry Page, 2008]]

==== Changes in management and expansion ====
Before Silicon Valley's two most prominent investors, [[Kleiner Perkins]] and [[Sequoia Capital]], agreed to invest a combined total of $50 million in Google, they applied pressure on Page to step down as CEO so that a more experienced leader could build a "world-class management team." Page eventually became amenable to the idea after meeting with other technology CEOs, including [[Steve Jobs]] and Intel's [[Andrew Grove]]. [[Eric Schmidt]], who had been hired as chairman of Google in March 2001, left his full-time position as the CEO of [[Novell]] to take the same role at Google in August of the same year, and Page moved aside to assume the president of products role.<ref name="Car"/>

Under Schmidt's leadership, Google underwent a period of major growth and expansion, which included its [[initial public offering]] (IPO) on August 20, 2004. He always acted in consultation with Page and Brin when he embarked on initiatives such as the hiring of an executive team and the creation of a [[sales force management system]]. Page remained the boss at Google in the eyes of the employees, as he gave final approval on all new hires, and it was Page who provided the signature for the IPO, the latter making him a billionaire at the age of 30.<ref name="Car"/>

Page led the acquisition of [[Android (operating system)|Android]] for $50 million in 2005 to fulfill his ambition to place handheld computers in the possession of consumers so that they could access Google anywhere. The purchase was made without Schmidt's knowledge, but the CEO was not perturbed by the relatively small acquisition. Page became passionate about Android and spent large amounts of time with Android CEO and cofounder [[Andy Rubin]]. By September 2008, [[T-Mobile US|T-Mobile]] launched the G1, the first phone using Android software and, by 2010, 17.2% of the handset market consisted of Android sales, overtaking Apple for the first time. Android became the world's most popular mobile operating system shortly afterward.<ref name="Car"/>

==== Assumption of CEO position at Google ====
Following a January 2011 announcement,<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704881304576094340081291776?mod=googlenews_wsj | title=Google's Page to Replace Schmidt as CEO | work=The Wall Street Journal | first=Amir | last=Efrati | date=January 21, 2011 | access-date=August 8, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816061610/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704881304576094340081291776?mod=googlenews_wsj | archive-date=August 16, 2017 | url-status=live | df=mdy-all }}</ref> Page officially became the chief executive of Google on April 4, 2011, while Schmidt stepped down to become executive chairman.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.google.com/about/company/facts/management/#section-board |title=Management team – Company|access-date=September 28, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121230160111/http://www.google.com/about/company/facts/management/#section-board |archive-date=December 30, 2012 |url-status=live  }}</ref> By this time, Google had over $180 billion market capitalization and more than 24,000 employees.<ref>[http://www.maintour.com/meritbadge/american_business.htm American Business BSA Merit Badge Guide] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906031557/http://www.maintour.com/meritbadge/american_business.htm |date=September 6, 2015 }}, June 22, 2015.</ref> Reporter Max Nisen described the decade prior to Page's second appointment as Google's CEO as Page's "lost decade" saying that while he exerted significant influence at Google via product development and other operations, he became increasingly disconnected and less responsive over time.<ref name="Car" /><ref name="Max">{{cite news|author1=Max Nisen|title=Larry Page's lost decade was the best thing to ever happen to Google|url=http://qz.com/202710/larry-pages-lost-decade-was-the-best-thing-to-ever-happen-to-google/|access-date=February 6, 2015|work=Quartz|date=April 25, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150202103627/http://qz.com/202710/larry-pages-lost-decade-was-the-best-thing-to-ever-happen-to-google/|archive-date=February 2, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

Schmidt announced the end of his tenure as CEO on January 20, 2011, jokingly tweeting on Twitter: "Adult-supervision no longer needed."<ref>{{cite tweet|number=28196946376130560|user=ericschmidt|title=Day-to-day adult supervision no longer needed! https://x.com/ericschmidt/status/28196946376130560|date=January 20, 2011}}</ref>

=== 2011–2013 ===
As Google's new CEO, Page's two key goals were the development of greater autonomy for the executives overseeing the most important divisions, and higher levels of collaboration, communication, and unity among the teams. Then Page also formed what the media called the "L-Team", a group of senior vice-presidents who reported directly to him and worked near his office for a portion of the working week.<ref name="Owe">{{cite web|author1=Owen Thomas|title=There's A Pretty Big Tension in How Larry Page Is Running Google|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/how-larry-page-is-running-google-2013-3?IR=T|website=Business Insider|publisher=Business Insider Inc|access-date=February 1, 2015|date=March 14, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150120174356/http://www.businessinsider.com/how-larry-page-is-running-google-2013-3?IR=T|archive-date=January 20, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> Additionally, he reorganized the company's senior management, placing a CEO-like manager at the top of Google's most important product divisions, including YouTube, [[Google Ads|AdWords]], and [[Google Search]].<ref name="Car"/>

Following a more cohesive team environment, Page declared a new "zero tolerance for fighting" policy that contrasted with his approach during the early days of Google, when he would use his harsh and intense arguments with Brin as an exemplar for senior management. Page had changed his thinking during his time away from the CEO role, as he eventually concluded that ambitious goals required a harmonious team dynamic. As part of Page's collaborative rejuvenation process, Google's products and applications were consolidated and underwent an [[aesthetic]] overhaul.<ref name="Max"/><ref name="Die"/>

==== Changes and consolidation process ====
At least 70 of Google's products, features and services were eventually shut down by March 2013, while the appearance and nature of the remaining ones were unified.<ref>{{cite web|author1=Urs Hölzle|title=A second spring of cleaning|url=http://googleblog.blogspot.se/2013/03/a-second-spring-of-cleaning.html|website=Official Google Blog|access-date=February 3, 2015|date=March 13, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150202103403/http://googleblog.blogspot.se/2013/03/a-second-spring-of-cleaning.html|archive-date=February 2, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Hel"/> Jon Wiley, lead designer of Google Search at the time, codenamed Page's redesign overhaul, which officially commenced on April 4, 2011, "Project Kennedy", based on Page's use of the term "moonshots" to describe ambitious projects in a January 2013 ''[[Wired magazine|Wired]]'' interview.<ref name="Die">{{cite web|author1=Dieter Bohn, Ellis Hamburger|title=Redesigning Google: how Larry Page engineered a beautiful revolution|url=https://www.theverge.com/2013/1/24/3904134/google-redesign-how-larry-page-engineered-beautiful-revolution|website=The Verge|publisher=[[Vox Media, Inc]]|access-date=February 1, 2015|date=January 24, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150203001709/http://www.theverge.com/2013/1/24/3904134/google-redesign-how-larry-page-engineered-beautiful-revolution|archive-date=February 3, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Lev">{{cite magazine|author1=Steven Levy|title=Google's Larry Page on Why Moon Shots Matter|url=https://www.wired.com/2013/01/ff-qa-larry-page/all/|magazine=Wired|access-date=February 1, 2015|date=January 17, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150201055806/http://www.wired.com/2013/01/ff-qa-larry-page/all/|archive-date=February 1, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> An initiative named "Kanna" previously attempted to create a uniform design aesthetic for Google's range of products, but it was too difficult at that point in the company's history for one team to drive such change. Matias Duarte, senior director of the [[Android (operating system)|Android]] user experience when "Kennedy" started, explained in 2013 that "Google passionately cares about design." Page proceeded to consult with the Google Creative Lab design team, based in New York City, to find an answer to his question of what a "cohesive vision" of Google might look like.<ref name="Die"/>

The eventual results of "Kennedy" which were progressively rolled out from June 2011 until January 2013, were described by [[The Verge]] technology publication as focused upon "refinement, white space, cleanliness, elasticity, usefulness, and most of all simplicity." The final products were aligned with Page's aim for a consistent suite of products that can "move fast", and "Kennedy" was called a "design revolution" by Duarte. Page's "UXA" (user/graphics interface) design team then emerged from the "Kennedy" project, tasked with "designing and developing a true [[User interface|UI]] framework that transforms Google's [[application software]] into a beautiful, mature, accessible and consistent platform for its users." Unspoken of in public, the small UXA unit was designed to ensure that "Kennedy" became an "institution."<ref name="Die"/>

==== Acquisition strategy and new products ====
When acquiring products and companies for Google, Page asked whether the [[business acquisition]] passed the toothbrush test as an initial qualifier, asking the question "Is it something you will use once or twice a day, and does it make your life better?". This approach looked for usefulness above profitability, and long-term potential over near-term financial gain, which has been noted as rare in business acquiring processes.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.inc.com/larry-kim/how-google-s-ceo-only-buys-companies-that-pass-his-crazy-toothbrush-test.html |title = Why Google's Larry Page Only Buys Companies That Pass His Crazy Toothbrush Test |website = Inc.com |date = August 28, 2014 |access-date = February 8, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150208082135/http://www.inc.com/larry-kim/how-google-s-ceo-only-buys-companies-that-pass-his-crazy-toothbrush-test.html |archive-date = February 8, 2015 |url-status=live |df = mdy-all }}</ref><ref>
{{cite web |url = https://dealbook.nytimes.com/2014/08/17/in-silicon-valley-mergers-must-meet-the-toothbrush-test/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=1 |title = In Silicon Valley, Mergers Must Meet the Toothbrush Test |author = David Gelles |work = The New York Times |date = August 18, 2014 |access-date = March 5, 2017 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181106195854/https://dealbook.nytimes.com/2014/08/17/in-silicon-valley-mergers-must-meet-the-toothbrush-test/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=1 |archive-date = November 6, 2018 |url-status=live |df = mdy-all }}
</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/larry-page-toothbrush-test-google-acquisitions-2014-8?IR=T |title=Larry Page Toothbrush Test Google Acquisitions – Business Insider |date=August 18, 2014 |work=Business Insider |access-date=February 8, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150208082519/http://www.businessinsider.com/larry-page-toothbrush-test-google-acquisitions-2014-8?IR=T |archive-date=February 8, 2015 |url-status=live  }}</ref>

With Facebook's influence rapidly expanding during the start of Page's second tenure, he finally responded to the intensive competition with Google's own social network, [[Google+]], in mid-2011. After several delays, the social network was released through a very limited field test and was led by [[Vic Gundotra]], Google's then senior vice president of social.<ref>{{cite web |author=Ben Parr |title=Google Launches Google+ To Battle Facebook [PICS] |url=http://mashable.com/2011/06/28/google-plus/ |website=Mashable |access-date=February 2, 2015 |date=June 28, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150211011327/http://mashable.com/2011/06/28/google-plus/ |archive-date=February 11, 2015 |url-status=live  }}</ref>

In August 2011, Page announced that Google would spend $12.5 billion to acquire [[Motorola Mobility]].<ref>{{cite web |author=Robin Wauters |title=Google Buys Motorola Mobility For $12.5B, Says "Android Will Stay Open" |url=https://techcrunch.com/2011/08/15/breaking-google-buys-motorola-for-12-5-billion/ |website=TechCrunch |publisher=AOL Inc |access-date=February 2, 2015 |date=August 15, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170609042131/https://techcrunch.com/2011/08/15/breaking-google-buys-motorola-for-12-5-billion/ |archive-date=June 9, 2017 |url-status=live  }}</ref> The purchase was primarily motivated by Google's need to secure [[patents]] to protect Android from lawsuits by companies including [[Apple Inc]].<ref name="Car"/> Page wrote on Google's official blog on August 15, 2011, that "companies including Microsoft and Apple are banding together in anti-competitive patent attacks on Android. The [[United States Department of Justice]] had to intervene in the results of one recent patent auction to 'protect competition and innovation in the [[open source software]] community' [...] Our acquisition of Motorola will increase competition by strengthening Google's patent portfolio, which will enable us to better protect Android from anti-competitive threats from Microsoft, Apple and other companies".<ref>{{cite web |url = http://googleblog.blogspot.se/2011/08/supercharging-android-google-to-acquire.html |title = Official Google Blog: Supercharging Android: Google to Acquire Motorola Mobility |work = Official Google Blog |access-date = February 8, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150208092717/http://googleblog.blogspot.se/2011/08/supercharging-android-google-to-acquire.html |archive-date = February 8, 2015 |url-status=live |df = mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://bgr.com/2011/08/15/google-ceo-larry-page-explains-reasoning-behind-motorola-acquisition-spoiler-patents/|title=Google CEO Larry Page explains reasoning behind Motorola acquisition (spoiler: patents)|work=BGR|date=August 15, 2011|access-date=February 8, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150208170345/http://bgr.com/2011/08/15/google-ceo-larry-page-explains-reasoning-behind-motorola-acquisition-spoiler-patents/|archive-date=February 8, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2014, Page sold Motorola Mobility for $2.9 billion to Personal Computer maker, Lenovo which represented a loss in value of $9.5 billion over two years.<ref>{{cite web |author=Roger Cheng |title=Google sells Motorola unit to Lenovo for $2.9B |url=https://www.cnet.com/news/google-sells-motorola-unit-to-lenovo-for-2-9b/ |website=CNet |access-date=November 9, 2019 |date=January 29, 2014 |archive-date=September 4, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200904033204/https://www.cnet.com/news/google-sells-motorola-unit-to-lenovo-for-2-9b/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Page also ventured into hardware and Google unveiled the [[Chromebook]] in May 2012. The hardware product was a laptop that ran on a Google operating system, [[ChromeOS]].<ref>{{cite web |author=Om Malik |title=Google launches Chromebook, Chromebox & gets it right |url=https://gigaom.com/2012/05/29/google-newchromebook-chromebox/ |website=Gigaom |publisher=Gigaom, Inc. |access-date=February 2, 2015 |date=May 29, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150202205026/https://gigaom.com/2012/05/29/google-newchromebook-chromebox/ |archive-date=February 2, 2015 |url-status=live  }}</ref>

=== 2013–2015 ===
In January 2013, Page participated in a rare interview with ''[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]'', in which writer Steven Levy discussed Page's "10X" mentality—Google employees are expected to create products and services that are at least 10 times better than those of its competitors—in the introductory [[blurb]]. [[Astro Teller]], the head of [[Google X]], explained to Levy that 10X is "just core to who he [Page] is", while Page's "focus is on where the next 10X will come from."<ref name="Lev"/> In his interview with Levy, Page referred to the success of YouTube and Android as examples of "crazy" ideas that investors were not initially interested in, saying: "If you're not doing some things that are crazy, then you're doing the wrong things."<ref name="Lev"/> Page also stated he was "very happy" with the status of Google+, and discussed concerns over the Internet concerning the [[SOPA]] bill and an [[International Telecommunication Union]] proposal that had been recently introduced:<blockquote>"I do think the Internet's under much greater attack than it has been in the past. Governments are now afraid of the Internet because of the Middle East stuff, and so they're a little more willing to listen to what I see as a lot of commercial interests that just want to make money by restricting people's freedoms. But they've also seen a tremendous user reaction, like the backlash against SOPA. I think that governments fight users' freedoms at their peril."<ref name="Lev"/></blockquote>At the May 2013 I/O developers conference in San Francisco, Page delivered a keynote address and said "We're at maybe 1% of what is possible. Despite the faster change, we're still moving slow relative to the opportunities we have. I think a lot of that is because of the negativity [...] Every story I read is Google vs someone else. That's boring. We should be focusing on building the things that don't exist" and that he was "sad the Web isn't advancing as fast as it should be", citing a perceived focus on negativity and zero-sum games among some in the technology sector as a cause.<ref name="CNET">{{cite web |author=Shara Tibken |title=Google's Page: We should be building great things that don't exist |url=https://www.cnet.com/news/googles-page-we-should-be-building-great-things-that-dont-exist/ |publisher=CNET |access-date=February 1, 2015 |date=May 15, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150120173341/http://www.cnet.com/news/googles-page-we-should-be-building-great-things-that-dont-exist/ |archive-date=January 20, 2015 |url-status=live  }}</ref> In response to an audience question, Page noted an issue that Google had been experiencing with [[Microsoft]], whereby the latter made its Outlook program interoperable with Google but did not allow for [[backward compatibility]]—he referred to Microsoft's practice as "milking off". During the question-and-answer section of his keynote, Page expressed interest in [[Burning Man]], which Brin had previously praised—it was a motivating factor for the latter during Schmidt's hiring process, as Brin liked that Schmidt had attended the week-long annual event.<ref name="Car"/><ref>{{cite magazine |url = https://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2013/05/google-io-2013-liveblog/#50512764920 |title = Liveblog: Get the Latest Updates From Google I/O 2013 |magazine = WIRED |access-date = March 8, 2017 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140221070752/http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2013/05/google-io-2013-liveblog#50512764920 |archive-date = February 21, 2014 |url-status=live |df = mdy-all |last1 = Honan |first1 = Mat }}</ref><ref name="CNET"/>

In September 2013, Page launched the independent [[Calico (company)|Calico]] initiative, a [[R&D]] project in the field of [[biotechnology]]. Google announced that Calico seeks to innovate and make improvements in the field of human health, and appointed Art Levinson, chairman of Apple's board and former CEO of [[Genentech]], to be the new division's CEO. Page's official statement read: "Illness and aging affect all our families. With some longer term, moonshot thinking around healthcare and [[biotechnology]], I believe we can improve millions of lives."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Newton |first=Casey |date=September 18, 2013 |title=Google launches Calico, a new company tasked with extending human life |url=https://www.theverge.com/2013/9/18/4744650/google-launches-calico-as-separate-company-to-improve-human-health |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150202205940/http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/18/4744650/google-launches-calico-as-separate-company-to-improve-human-health |archive-date=February 2, 2015 |access-date=February 2, 2015 |website=[[The Verge]] |publisher=[[Vox Media]]}}</ref>

Page participated in a March 2014 TedX conference that was held in [[Vancouver|Vancouver, British Columbia]], Canada. The presentation was scripted by Page's chief [[Public relations|PR]] executive Rachel Whetstone, and Google's [[Chief marketing officer|CMO]] Lorraine Twohill, and a demonstration of an artificially intelligent computer program was displayed on a large screen.<ref name="Car"/>
Page responded to a question about corporations, noting that corporations largely get a "bad rap", which he stated was because they were probably doing the same incremental things they were doing "50 or 20 years ago". He went on to juxtapose that kind of incremental approach to his vision of Google counteracting calcification through driving technology innovation at a high rate. Page mentioned [[Elon Musk]] and [[SpaceX]]:<blockquote>"He [Musk] wants to go to Mars to back up humanity. That's a worthy goal. We have a lot of employees at Google who've become pretty wealthy. You're working because you want to change [[Earth|the world]] and make it better [...] I'd like for us to help out more than we are."<ref name="bi20140320">{{cite news |last=Yarow |first=Jay |title=LARRY PAGE: I Would Rather Give My Billions To Elon Musk Than Charity |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/larry-page-elon-musk-2014-3 |access-date=December 28, 2014 |work=Business Insider |date=March 20, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141229081516/http://www.businessinsider.com/larry-page-elon-musk-2014-3 |archive-date=December 29, 2014 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}</ref></blockquote>Page also mentioned [[Nikola Tesla]] with regard to invention and commercialization:<blockquote>"Invention is not enough. [Nikola] Tesla invented the electric power we use, but he struggled to get it out to people. [You have to] combine both things []... invention and innovation focus, plus [...] a company that can really commercialize things and get them to people."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.quotery.com/quotes/invention-not-enough-nikola-tesla|title=Quote {{!}} Invention Is Not Enough. [Nikola] Tesla ...|access-date=September 12, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180912092151/https://www.quotery.com/quotes/invention-not-enough-nikola-tesla|archive-date=September 12, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref></blockquote>Page announced a major management restructure in October 2014 so that he would no longer need to be responsible for day-to-day product-related decision making. In a memo, Page said that Google's core businesses would be able to progress in a typical manner, while he could focus on the next generation of ambitious projects, including [[Google X]] initiatives; access and energy, including [[Google Fiber]]; smart-home automation through [[Nest Labs]]; and [[biotechnology]] innovations under Calico.<ref name="techtimes.com">{{cite news|url=http://www.techtimes.com/articles/18697/20141025/the-rise-and-rise-of-sundar-pichai-in-google-and-larry-page-is-loving-it.htm|title=The rise and rise of Sundar Pichai in Google (and Larry Page is loving it)|author=Nicole Arce|work=Tech Times|date=October 25, 2014|access-date=February 4, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150204230323/http://www.techtimes.com/articles/18697/20141025/the-rise-and-rise-of-sundar-pichai-in-google-and-larry-page-is-loving-it.htm|archive-date=February 4, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> Page maintained that he would continue as the unofficial "chief product officer".<ref name="Hel">{{cite web|author1=Miguel Helft|title=Google's Larry Page: The most ambitious CEO in the universe|url=http://fortune.com/2014/11/13/googles-larry-page-the-most-ambitious-ceo-in-the-universe/|website=Fortune|access-date=February 3, 2015|date=November 13, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150202093602/http://fortune.com/2014/11/13/googles-larry-page-the-most-ambitious-ceo-in-the-universe/|archive-date=February 2, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> Subsequent to the announcement, the executives in charge of Google's core products reported to then Google Senior Vice President [[Sundar Pichai]], who reported directly to Page.<ref name="techtimes.com"/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2014/10/27/in-new-structure-google-ceo-page-aims-for-faster-better-decisions/|title=In New Structure, Google CEO Page Aims for 'Faster, Better Decisions'|author=Rolfe Winkler|work=The Wall Street Journal|date=October 27, 2014|access-date=August 4, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170103080237/http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2014/10/27/in-new-structure-google-ceo-page-aims-for-faster-better-decisions//|archive-date=January 3, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mobiletor.com/119663/sundar-pichai-india-google-product/|title=Sundar Pichai moved up the ladder to head Google's products business|author=Shreya Shetty|work=Mobiletor.com|date=October 26, 2014|access-date=February 4, 2015|archive-date=March 26, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326115953/https://www.mobiletor.com/sundar-pichai-india-google-product/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.softpedia.com/news/Larry-Page-Promotes-Sundar-Pichai-to-Chief-of-Core-Google-Products-463126.shtml|title=Larry Page Promotes Sundar Pichai to Chief of Core Google Products|author=Gabriela Vatu|date=October 25, 2014|work=softpedia|access-date=February 4, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141027201701/http://news.softpedia.com/news/Larry-Page-Promotes-Sundar-Pichai-to-Chief-of-Core-Google-Products-463126.shtml|archive-date=October 27, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>

In a November 2014 interview, Page stated that he prioritized the maintenance of his "deep knowledge" of Google's products and breadth of projects, as it had been a key motivating factor for team members. About his then role as the company's CEO, Page said: "I think my job as CEO—I feel like it's always to be pushing people ahead."<ref name="Hel"/>

On August 10, 2015, Page announced on Google's official blog that Google had restructured into a number of subsidiaries of a new [[holding company]] known as [[Alphabet Inc.|Alphabet Inc]] with Page becoming CEO of [[Alphabet Inc.|Alphabet Inc]] and [[Sundar Pichai]] assuming the position of CEO of [[Google Inc.]] In his announcement, Page described the planned holding company as follows:<ref name="gIsForGoogle">{{Cite web|url=http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2015/08/google-alphabet.html|title=G is for Google|publisher=Google Official Blog|last=Page|first=Larry|date=August 10, 2015|access-date=August 11, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150810210148/http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2015/08/google-alphabet.html|archive-date=August 10, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><blockquote>"Alphabet is mostly a collection of companies. The largest of which, of course, is Google. This newer Google is a bit slimmed down, with the companies that are pretty far afield of our main Internet products contained in Alphabet instead. [...] Fundamentally, we believe this allows us more management scale, as we can run things independently that aren't very related."</blockquote>As well as explaining the origin of the company's name:<blockquote>"We liked the name Alphabet because it means a collection of letters that represent language, one of humanity's most important innovations, and is the core of how we index with Google search! We also like that it means alpha‑bet ([[Alpha (finance)|Alpha]] is investment return above benchmark), which we strive for!"</blockquote>Page wrote that the motivation behind the reorganization is to make Google "cleaner and more accountable." He also wrote that there was a desire to improve "the transparency and oversight of what we're doing" and to allow greater control of unrelated companies previously within the Google ecosystem.<ref name="gIsForGoogle"/><ref name="wire-2015-new-company">{{cite journal|last=Metz|first=Cade|title=A New Company Called Alphabet Now Owns Google|url=https://www.wired.com/2015/08/new-company-called-alphabet-owns-google/|journal=[[Wired (website)|Wired]]|access-date=August 13, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171122143410/https://www.wired.com/2015/08/new-company-called-alphabet-owns-google/|archive-date=November 22, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Page|first=Larry|author-link1=Larry Page|title=G is for Google |url=http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2015/08/google-alphabet.html |website=Official Google Blog |access-date=August 10, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150810210148/http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2015/08/google-alphabet.html |archive-date=August 10, 2015|url-status=live|date=August 10, 2015}}</ref>

Page has not been on any press conferences since 2015 and has not presented at product launches or earnings calls since 2013. The ''[[Bloomberg Businessweek]]'' termed the reorganization into Alphabet a clever retirement plan allowing Page to retain control over Google, at the same time relinquishing all responsibilities over it. Executives at Alphabet describe Page as a "futurist", highly detached from day-to-day business dealings, and more focused on moon-shot projects. While some managers of Alphabet companies speak of Page as intensely involved, others say that his rare office check-ins are "akin to a royal visit".<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2018-09-13/larry-page-is-a-no-show-with-google-under-a-harsh-spotlight|title=Where in the World Is Larry Page?|last1=Bergen|first1=Mark|last2=Carr|first2=Austin|date=September 13, 2018|magazine=Bloomberg Businessweek|access-date=September 18, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180918092518/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2018-09-13/larry-page-is-a-no-show-with-google-under-a-harsh-spotlight|archive-date=September 18, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== 2019 ===
On December 3, 2019, Larry Page announced that he would step down from the position of Alphabet CEO and be replaced by Google CEO Sundar Pichai. Pichai also continued as Google CEO. Page and Google co-founder and Alphabet president Sergey Brin announced the change in a joint blog post, "With Alphabet now well-established, and Google and the Other Bets operating effectively as independent companies, it's the natural time to simplify our management structure. We’ve never been ones to hold on to management roles when we think there's a better way to run the company. And Alphabet and Google no longer need two CEOs and a President."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/03/larry-page-steps-down-as-ceo-of-alphabet.html|title=Larry Page steps down as CEO of Alphabet, Sundar Pichai to take over|first=Lauren|last=Feiner|date=December 3, 2019|website=CNBC|access-date=December 3, 2019|archive-date=August 24, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200824015937/https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/03/larry-page-steps-down-as-ceo-of-alphabet.html|url-status=live}}</ref>