Eric Schmidt Steps Down As CEO of Google

Eric Schmidt has stepped down as CEO of Google, while co-founder Larry Page (aka PageRank) is taking on the role. Schmidt joined Google in 2001, and during his tenure, Google has grown into one of the most successful companies in the world.

Google has really helped shape the web. They have also created one of the most effective ad platforms in existence. The company’s share price has seen incredible growth over the course of Schmidt’s leadership, making it one of the darlings of Wall Street. And while their share price has slowed of late, unless you bought at the height of financial collapse in 2008, you would still be sitting pretty.

According to reports Schmidt will become Executive Chairman, focused on “deals, partnerships, customers and broader business relationships, government outreach and technology thought leadership.”

Meanwhile, Larry Page will be using his considerable talents to deal with ever increasing competition from Facebook. Page has also shown great leadership and has been instrumental in Google’s product development, making day-to-day adult supervision no longer needed.

In light of this news, we have posted a video above from Google Zeitgeist where in 2009 both Eric Schmidt and Larry Page (along with Sir Richard Branson), talked about the way Google has evolved over the course of the company’s lifetime. Well worth a look.