Can Larry Page Lead Google's Battle Against Facebook and Apple?

The tech world is still coming to terms with the news that Google co-founder Larry Page will become the new company's new CEO, taking the place of Eric Schmidt.

Says TechCrunch, "This is clearly Schmidt being removed from power. And again, it appears to be because things just weren't getting done the way the company would have liked."

The Guardian's Charles Arthur agrees that Schmidt's missteps necessitated his departure from the top spot, pointing to "myriads of little failures," such as the unsuccessful launches of Google Wave and Google Buzz. Arthur also points out that Google's core product, the search engine, is being played by spammers.

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and Google founder Larry Page.

Eric Schmidt, left, has been replaced by Larry Page as Google's CEO.

Page will inherit these challenges, but he may have a little catching up to do. On AllThingsD, Liz Gannes points out that Page doesn't seem to be active on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn, which could be troubling, since social networks are a threat to Google's dominance.

She writes, "Page has returned to make Google innovative again with the passion of a founder. But with 10 years elapsed since he last had the job, he may want to go out and do a little personal market research on this whole social thing."

Fortune's Michael V. Copeland agrees that Google must do battle against many competitors -- not only social networks but also with Microsoft and Apple. Google is no longer "just" a search engine, as it expands into new territories like Google Offers (a Groupon competitor). "Page is taking over a much more complex and far-flung company than Schmidt did when he was made CEO in 2001. Page's job will be harder," Copeland writes.

The blog Search Engine Land sets out a to-do list for Page, reminding him of the old Google credo "Don't be evil." The post says, "[S]temming the seemingly growing number of people who actively fear you should be a priority. Hey, how about hiring an ombudsman empowered to look into complaints about Google and report back to the public? Like now."

Read more:
Larry Page: 5 Facts About Google's Founder and Next CEO
Google Co-Founder Larry Page Will Be CEO in Shake-Up

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