Fire 100 executives. Give up on creating another Facebook. Buy Twitter. Sell Orkut. Kill Chrome.
This is the advice being thrown at Google's new chief executive and founder Larry Page on his first day in the big-boy seat, according to Business Insider. Should he listen to it? Maybe. Should he act on it? No way.
Page, labeled as both "rude" and "brilliant," hopefully has his own ideas on how Google can succeed without grand gestures that create some illusion of strategy.
1. Fire 100 Executives.
Allegedly from ex-Facebooker Yishan Wong, this advice has got to be the worst. Believe me, I don't particularly like execs because I think they fight innovation more than create it, but picking 100 just so your company won't be bloated? Aside from the random stupidity, 100 employees will mean nothing in a company of more than 20,000.
2. Sell Orkut.
In the U.S, it's virtually unknown. But in Brazil, Orkut actually drinks Facebook's milkshake. Why would you sell off a profitable and growing asset in the developing world? The developing world, of which Brazil is an economic powerhouse, is the new frontier. If Google loses any grip on the developing world this early, it should give up entirely.
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3. Give Up on Facebook/Buy Twitter.
These two bits of advice are almost oxymorons. Quit trying to succeed with social media, but buy Twitter. Actually I'm all for buying Twitter -- it certainly can't hurt and Google has enough money, but I don't think Google should quit social media altogether. I'm betting there will be several more tricks Google has up its sleeve, including near-field communication.
4. Kill Chrome.
I admit to not knowing what the attraction is to Chrome, but I don't see how keeping or losing it will have any significant change to Google's way of doing business. I suppose it could streamline Google, but so would killing off Gmail, Google Scholar, Blogger or any other tool in the Googlelshed.
5. Create a Better Search.
I agree that this is the only advice that will help Google. Being on top of spam sites and outmaneuvering them is the only way Google can stay relevant. Right now a Google search is full of too much noise from scrapers and spam masquerading as legitimate sites to find any quality material. Google made its name by being a quality search engine, but now it's one of the worst. Working on a better consumer experience will better the company.
While Page is often labeled a jerk, I'd like to say that calling someone rude or nice is simply a descriptor and not a quality of a person's character. It means their behavior is either not up to or meets the standards of the person describing him or her. Perhaps Page isn't often concerned about his image around people and can come off as blunt and opinionated, also considered rude and arrogant.
