Skip to main content

Google CEO Larry Page cleans house, demands better social strategy

Larry Page (Google CEO)As Larry Page regained the reins of power at Google in recent days, the once-again CEO unleashed a swarm of changes and demands of the company in an attempt to reinvigorate innovation at the Internet giant. First order of business: Get social media right.

In a confidential memo sent out to all Google employees on Friday, Page explains that success in the “social” sphere is necessary for Google to compete, Business Insider reports. To help ensure the proper level of motivation, Page altered the company’s compensation policy in such a way that up to 25 percent of employee bonuses is now directly linked to how well Google does with social media in 2011.

Recommended Videos

Even employees not directly involved with the company’s social media strategy and products are expected to play their part, Page says. All employees are now expected to test new social products, and give feedback to the development teams.

“This is a joint effort so it’s important that we all get behind it,” Page writes in the memo. Employees are also now expected to hock Google’s latest social creations on their friends and family. “When we release products, try them and encourage your family and friends to do the same.”

Unfortunately for everyone involved, Google isn’t exactly known for its stellar performance in the social realm. In fact, it has so far stumbled at every attempt to step into the social market in a significant way that truly connects with users.

Just last week, Google launched its latest social product, dubbed Google +1. The service functions similarly to Facebook’s “like” button by allowing users to recommend links to people they know. Whether or not +1 will be the first move in the right direction for Google’s strategy remains to be seen.

In addition to spelling out the company’s new social media goals, Page began his tenure this week with a sweeping overhaul of the company’s management structure, reports the Los Angeles Times. The reorganization included the promotion of six executives to the level of senior vice president, as well as the resignation of SVP of product management Jonathan Rosenberg.

Page also looked to the success of Google’s Android and YouTube departments — both of which have near autonomy at the company — as a blueprint for how to restructure the company to cut down on bureaucracy and further fuel ingenuity and innovation.

Andrew Couts
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Features Editor for Digital Trends, Andrew Couts covers a wide swath of consumer technology topics, with particular focus on…
I paid Meta to ‘verify’ me — here’s what actually happened
An Instagram profile on an iPhone.

In the fall of 2023 I decided to do a little experiment in the height of the “blue check” hysteria. Twitter had shifted from verifying accounts based (more or less) on merit or importance and instead would let users pay for a blue checkmark. That obviously went (and still goes) badly. Meanwhile, Meta opened its own verification service earlier in the year, called Meta Verified.

Mostly aimed at “creators,” Meta Verified costs $15 a month and helps you “establish your account authenticity and help[s] your community know it’s the real us with a verified badge." It also gives you “proactive account protection” to help fight impersonation by (in part) requiring you to use two-factor authentication. You’ll also get direct account support “from a real person,” and exclusive features like stickers and stars.

Read more
Here’s how to delete your YouTube account on any device
How to delete your YouTube account

Wanting to get out of the YouTube business? If you want to delete your YouTube account, all you need to do is go to your YouTube Studio page, go to the Advanced Settings, and follow the section that will guide you to permanently delete your account. If you need help with these steps, or want to do so on a platform that isn't your computer, you can follow the steps below.

Note that the following steps will delete your YouTube channel, not your associated Google account.

Read more
How to download Instagram photos for free
Instagram app running on the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5.

Instagram is amazing, and many of us use it as a record of our lives — uploading the best bits of our trips, adventures, and notable moments. But sometimes you can lose the original files of those moments, leaving the Instagram copy as the only available one . While you may be happy to leave it up there, it's a lot more convenient to have another version of it downloaded onto your phone or computer. While downloading directly from Instagram can be tricky, there are ways around it. Here are a few easy ways to download Instagram photos.

Read more