Company Founders Take on New Roles in Key Management Positions
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. - August 6, 2001 - Google Inc. today announced that Dr. Eric E. Schmidt, 46, has been named chief executive officer. Schmidt, who was appointed chairman of Google's board of directors in March 2001, succeeds Larry Page, 28, Google's founding chief executive officer. Page was named President, Products; and Sergey Brin, 27, the company's founding president, was named President, Technology. The new executive appointments are effective immediately.
As an internationally recognized technologist and business leader, Schmidt brings more than 20 years of software development, management, and marketing experience to Google.
"Eric is exactly the right leader for Google," said Page. "His extensive technology background and vision for the potential of the Internet complement the efforts that Google is making in defining a leadership position in Internet search and navigation. His strong management experience will help shape Google as we continue our growth and global expansion. And most importantly for anyone taking on the CEO role at Google, Eric is a natural fit with our corporate culture."
"Larry Page and Sergey Brin made an important breakthrough as students at Stanford University, when they developed the core technologies that became the Google search engine," Schmidt said. "Their combined efforts have vastly enhanced Internet use, enabling people to find information and navigate the World Wide Web with great ease, speed, and effectiveness.
"Under Larry's and Sergey's leadership, Google has continued to set the pace for search and navigation on the Internet with the ongoing addition of new features and capabilities, and by consistently delivering the best search experience on the Internet to users all over the globe," Schmidt continued. "I have been enormously impressed with the business and market position that Larry and Sergey have established with Google, and I am thrilled by the opportunity to work alongside them as we advance Google to its next phase of growth."
"In the short time that Eric has chaired our board of directors, he has provided decisive leadership and has demonstrated a deep understanding of our technology and business," said Brin. "We feel extremely fortunate to have someone of Eric's stature leading our management team."
Schmidt has served as chairman and CEO of Novell, Inc. (NASDAQ: NOVL) since 1997, where he led the company's strategic planning, management, and technology development. He recently left his post as Novell's CEO, but remains Novell's chairman of the board.
Prior to his appointment at Novell, Schmidt was chief technology officer and corporate executive officer at Sun Microsystems, Inc., where he led the development of Java, Sun's platform-independent programming technology, and defined Sun's Internet software strategy. Before joining Sun in 1983, Schmidt was a member of the research staff at the Computer Science Lab at Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), and held positions at Bell Laboratories and Zilog. Schmidt has a B.S. in electrical engineering from Princeton University, and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of California-Berkeley.
About Google Inc.
With the largest index of websites available on the World
Wide Web and the industry's most advanced search technology, Google Inc. delivers
the fastest and easiest way to find relevant information on the Internet. Google's
technological innovations have earned the company numerous industry awards and citations,
including two Webby Awards; WIRED magazine's Reader Raves Award; Best Internet Innovation
and Technical Excellence Award from PC Magazine; Best Search Engine on the Internet
from Yahoo! Internet Life; Top Ten Best Cybertech from TIME magazine; and Editor's
Pick from CNET. A growing number of companies worldwide, including Yahoo!, AOL/Netscape,
and Cisco Systems, rely on Google to power search on their websites. A privately
held company based in Mountain View, Calif., Google's investors include Kleiner
Perkins Caufield & Byers and Sequoia Capital. More information about Google can
be found on the Google site at http://www.google.com.