Steve Jobs Was Right. I Haven't Slowed Down.
Interviewer: Steve Jobs said you're doing too many things. Energy. Telecom. Transportation. Self-driving cars. Balloons for internet. How do you decide?
Page: He was right. I worry about that in fact. But I think as an entrepreneur who started Google, trying to make a company for entrepreneurs is something we're striving for. I really like going and talking to the people who run our data centers — how does the transformer work? How does the power come in? What do we pay for that? Lots and lots of questions.
Steve Jobs said I'm doing too many things. He was right. I worry about it. But I haven't slowed down.
Why Does a Transformer Take a Year?
Page: I remember we were having a problem getting transformers. Takes them a year for a transformer to show up. That's a problem — but it's also an opportunity. Why does it take a year? Why does it get shipped on a train car and then a special truck and then takes a long time to arrive? Is that really the right solution?
A lot of times you have this observation — and then 10 years later it might turn into a business. The right team shows up. The right piece of technology. Somebody invents something new.
A transformer takes a year to arrive. That's a problem. It's also an opportunity.
Companies Are 90% of GDP. Why the Bad Reputation?
Page: Companies are maybe 90% of GDP. Basically everyone, all the time. So why do they have such a bad reputation? Most people don't get up and say 'I wish I could go work for a company.' They do it because they have to.
I think we've got to be more ambitious. Do things that matter more to people. Less zero-sum games. More things that really cause a lot of benefit. Too many businesses are either making marginal changes or fighting for market share.
Companies are 90% of GDP. But people don't wake up wanting to work for one. Be more ambitious.