Google CEO Reflects on First Year Back at the Helm

Google CEO Larry Page penned an open letter today, reflecting on his first year back in charge after a decade-long span under Eric Schmidt. Mobile doesn't make an appearance in the letter until about halfway down, but when Page gets there he also takes time to reflect on the beginning of what we know today as Android.

"I remember first meeting Andy Rubin, the creator of Android, back in 2004. At the time, developing apps for mobile devices was incredibly painful. We had a closet full of over 100 phones, and we were building our software pretty much one device at a time. Andy believed that aligning standards around an open source operating system would drive innovation across the mobile industry. At the time, most people thought he was nuts," he writes.

Today's mobile landscape is entirely different, of course. Google now holds a commanding presence and influence over the industry, outranked by few others.

"Fast forward to today. Android is on fire, and the pace of mobile innovation has never been greater. Over 850,000 devices are activated daily through a network of 55 manufacturers and more than 300 carriers. Android is a tremendous example of the power of partnership, and it just gets better with each version," Page continues. "As devices multiply and usage changes (many users coming online today may never use a desktop machine), it becomes more and more important to ensure that people can access all of their stuff anywhere."

Recent updates to Gmail, Google Docs, Chrome and Google Play are decreasing download times and deliver a more seamless experience between Android and desktop devices, Page adds.

His section on the state of the mobile union concludes with the Motorola Mobility acquisition, arguably the most significant move the company has made in mobile for some time. Page also takes the opportunity to downplay fears about any favoritism on the part of Google toward Motorola, as a result of the new kinship. 

"In August, we announced plans to acquire Motorola Mobility, a company that bet big on Android very early on. We are excited about the opportunities to build great devices capitalizing on the tremendous success and growth of Android and Motorola’s long history of technological innovation. But it’s important to reiterate that openness and investment by many hardware partners have contributed to Android’s success. So we look forward to working with all of them in the future to deliver outstanding user experiences. Android was built as an open ecosystem, and we have no plans to change that."