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access to all the world’s information, to organize it and make it accessible. If you think about human history, one of the big steps has to be the ability to record things, using language. Set (information) down so other generations could read it. But, it wasn’t instantly accessible. You had to get the physical copy. Now, you get (a document) in less than a second. That is a giant change which changes our thinking. A lot of people think that, “Wow, we’re going to lose a lot because people won’t memorize dates and things like that.” Well, what if you don’t have to? What if it’s always there, at your fingertips? Maybe you should concentrate now on the thoughts or the ideas behind things. And you’re able to get information to enhance your discussions about those ideas. Q. What do you see as “the next big thing” in the next five to 10 years? A. I think it’s a combination of a couple of things. One is the huge amounts of data that we’re generating ourselves—and other people are collecting. And it’s getting to be set down in a formal order so computers can analyze it very effectively. It’s a combination of big data and smart learning algorithms that learn how to mine that data and find things that humans couldn’t figure out before. Q. What’s the latest on Google’s efforts to develop revolutionary new products such as the self-driving car? A. The only thing we know that they’re doing—and they’re being very secretive about it—is the project they have with selfdriving cars. I’ve been in one of these cars; they didn’t take me on the road. We were in the top floor of a parking garage. The car is heading straight to the edge at 45 miles per hour, then screeches (the tires) and goes left. The whole course was like that. One screech after another. I couldn’t tolerate a human
Expect more “disruptive” new Google products, says author Levy.
being driving like that. Yet, somehow, intellectually, I was OK with the idea of a car driving itself. With my aging parents, I often wonder if it’s OK for them to drive. It won’t be a question of whether we’ll have self-driving cars. It will be a question of which self-driving car should we give ol’ Dad. So, this kind of ambition, to me, is probably where Google’s next big business will come from. That’s why I’m bullish on Google for the long term. Q. What are the ramifications of Google buying Motorola Mobility Holdings, Inc. (a Libertyville-based company)? A. We could be at a point where more people search on mobile devices than on desktops. If Google didn’t have a presence (in the mobile device market) in a way that made sure their search was prominent in the mobile world, they’d really be up against it there. In buying Motorola, they didn’t just get a patent portfolio (to compete in the ultracompetitive smart phone market), they got a lot more money because they got a big company. It’s almost going to double their size.
Larry Page (the CEO) is very ambitious, and he’s very disruptive. With Motorola Mobility, I think Google is going to come up with a disruptive business model, and maybe come up with a disruptive new product. I wouldn’t be surprised if they give away phones. That’s certainly keeping with the model they have. They give away Android, right? Q. As a veteran observer of Google and the Internet age, what impressed you the most about Google in your two years of research there? A. I think it was the high standard they took in hiring people. I think they are going to be challenged on this as they get bigger and bigger. They really try to make sure that every employee is, in a different room, the smartest person in the room. And also, they optimize the company so employees can be more productive. You can see it in the simple things. Every Google conference room has a table equipped with several types of cords so that any kind of laptop can be plugged into it. It’s so simple, but other places don’t do that.
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