Google: The Next Generation

'Google X' lab envisions future of technology

(NEWSER) - To Google is to search, but in the future it could mean much more. Google operates a secret lab in the Bay Area devoted to projects far beyond the cutting-edge: ideas like robots that go to the office for you and dinner plates that communicate with your social network, the New York Times reports. Google X, as the lab is known, employs some of the country’s top engineers and has a list of 100 projects in the works, including elevators that would travel from Earth to space. More»

Co-founder Larry Page will take over in April

(NEWSER) - Google made a surprise shuffle at the top today when announcing its quarterly results: Eric Schmidt is stepping down as CEO and will be replaced by co-founder Larry Page, reports MarketWatch . Schmidt will remain with the company as executive chairman, while Page's co-founder, Sergey Brin, will take a bigger role with a focus on "strategic projects." Schmidt plans to sell some of his Google shares, a move that would see him clear $334 million at today's prices, notes Fortune . See Google's official blog on the shuffle here . More»

Facebook founder tops Steve Jobs, Rupert Murdoch

(NEWSER) - Frighteningly enough, Mark Zuckerberg tops Vanity Fair 's list of this year's most influential people of the Information Age. The top 5 of its 100:

1. Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook: His company is valued at around $25 billion, has more than 500 million members, runs 176 billion banner ads a month, and is looking at $2 billion in revenue this year.
2. Steve Jobs, Apple: He's already saved the music business, now he's looking to do the same for the publishing industry with the iPad. And sales of his market-dominating iPhone will likely top $20 billion this year.

Its shares off 40% since November, 'the shine is off' search behemoth

(NEWSER) - After a hitting record high in November, Google shares have fallen 40%, reports the Los Angeles Times. Investors are concerned that a downturn in consumer spending could slow Google's growth—previously thought to be recession-proof. "Now the shine is off Google, whether deservedly or not," one media analyst said of the pioneering search giant. More»

Only 2 of top 18 Googlers are active users of service

(NEWSER) - The top layer of management at Google doesn't seem to have warmed to to Google+, blogs Michael Degusta at the understatement . Out of the company's top 18 execs, only two can be considered active users of the social networking service, he finds. Five others are minimal users, including CEO Larry Page, who has made only seven posts since the service was launched. Eight more have never posted, and three—including chairman Eric Schmidt—don't have Google+ accounts, at least not in their real names. More»