Google confessed to having tried unsuccessfully to form a partnership with Facebook, as part of efforts to adapt to the changing technology landscape and maintain their growth. Eric Schmidt, chairman of the board of Google, said on Tuesday that Facebook had rejected their attempts to reach agreement, and acknowledged that he had worked hard enough to face the growing threat of the largest social networking site in the world, during the years he was chief executive of the company.
"Three years ago, I wrote memos talking about this issue in general terms. I knew I needed to do something, but could not," said Schmidt. "A chief executive needs to take responsibility. I was wrong." Schmidt, who in April completed its ten years as chief executive of Google and transferred the command to Larry Page, 38, co-founder, made the comments during a conference D9, organized by AllThingsD blog.
Google, which had revenues of 29 billion dollars last year, is the largest worldwide search. But their advertising operations, the base of the company business, are under threat from young companies and fast growth, such as Facebook and Groupon, while the emergence of new technological equipment also aroused growing rivalry with Apple. During a 90-minute interview conducted at the podium of the event, Schmidt discussed the scenario of an increasingly competitive market and increasing regulatory pressures and privacy advocates that Google is suffering.
The officer seemed to ignore the software giant Microsoft, which "is not propelling the consumer revolution." Former Apple board member, Schmidt admitted that the relationship between the two companies became "difficult" when Google began to develop its Android operating system for smartphones, though the companies remain partners in some business. Google recently renewed the agreement with Apple to supply the mapping technology used in iPhone.
