Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL) 01 (May 08 - Jul 17)

[millionairemind]

Jan 22, 2010
Google net profit up five-fold
SAN FRANCISCO - GOOGLE on Thursday posted a five-fold rise in quarterly net profit to US$1.97 billion (S$2.8 billion) and said annual net profit rose 54 per cent to US$6.52 billion.

Fourth-quarter revenue rose 17 per cent to US$6.67 billion, the Internet giant said in a statement.

'Given that the global economy is still in the early days of recovery, this was an extraordinary end to the year,' Google chief executive Eric Schmidt said.

'As we enter 2010, we remain hugely optimistic about the Internet and are continuing to invest heavily in technological innovation for the benefit not only of our users and customers, but also the wider Web,' Mr Schmidt said. -- AFP

[kennynah]

astronomical..... GOOG's highest price was ~1070.... we are quite a distance from it....

[millionairemind]

astronomical..... GOOG's highest price was ~1070.... we are quite a distance from it....

Er... I think its in the 715 range.

[millionairemind]

Published January 25, 2010

Google co-founders to sell US$5.5b in stock

(SAN FRANCISCO) Google Inc co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin are relinquishing some of their control over the Internet search leader with the sale of 10 million shares worth US$5.5 billion at current prices. Under a plan disclosed Friday, the longtime business partners will each sell five million Google shares during a five-year period that will commence with the first trade. The sales will occur periodically to lessen the chances of hurting Google's stock price.

Mr Page and Mr Brin, both 36, will remain Google's most influential shareholders, although they will be losing some of their clout.

The two iconoclasts own a special class of Google stock that gives them combined voting power of about 59 per cent - enough to override the wishes of all other shareholders if they wanted. The duo secured this veto power to ensure Google remained true to their values, which are summed up in the company motto, 'Don't Be Evil.' After the sales, the founders' holdings will be whittled to a combined 47.7 million shares with 48 per cent voting power.

Falling below the 50 per cent threshold might not matter because they run Google as a ruling triumvirate with the company's chief executive, Eric Schmidt, whose shares hold 10 per cent voting power.

Although the trio acknowledge occasional disagreements, they insist they always work things out amicably. What's more, Mr Schmidt, Mr Page and Mr Brin have agreed to remain at Google at least through 2024. Executives and founders of companies commonly enter into predetermined stock trading plans to raise cash and diversify their investments.

Mr Page and Mr Brin each currently have about US$16 billion of their fortunes tied up in Google stock. By their own choice, their annual salary at Google is just US$1.

'They are both as committed as ever to Google and are integrally involved in our day-to-day management and product strategy,' Google spokeswoman Jane Penner said.

'The majority of their net worth remains with Google.' This marks the second time Mr Page and Mr Brin have sold big chunks of stock since Google went public in August 2004. -- AP

[millionairemind]

The amazing Chinese...
Published January 28, 2010

Google knock-off comes online

(BEIJING) A Google knock-off has surfaced in China to compete with the world's largest search engine, while at the same time pleading with it to stay in the country despite censorship and hacking allegations.

Adding to China's reputation for copies of items such as designer clothes, coffee chains and DVDs, 'Goojje' began vying with Google on Jan 14, the Henan Business Daily reported.

Google Inc had said two days earlier that it may close its Chinese Google.cn portal and pull out of China.

The name chosen by the newcomer is a play on words. The final syllable 'jje' sounds like the Chinese word 'older sister', while the 'gle' syllable of 'Google' is pronounced like the Chinese word for 'older brother'.

Goojje (www.goojje.com) has a search engine and provides social networking services. Its home page bears a Google-styled logo that combines hallmarks from the 'older brother' and China's top home-grown search engine, Baidu Inc.

'Sister was very happy when brother gave up the thought of leaving and stayed for sister,' the website says, in an apparent call for Google to stay in China.

Keyword search results in Goojje give slightly different results than Google or Baidu but appear to be similarly filtered to avoid content that China deems sensitive. -- Reuters

[kennynah]

better they just call it

古歌

[kennynah]

anyways...what in the world happened to their android phones??? no sound no picture

[iam802]

Google experimenting with fiber network (>> 1 gigabits per second)

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/ ... ental.html

Note:
Don't you think Google is sticking their fingers into lots of areas?

I wonder how are they going to fend off competitors in the following areas:
- Mobile (AAPL, Nokia)
- MSFT (apps and services)
- AMZN (services)

[millionairemind]

Mar 4, 2010
Hackers stole source code
BOSTON - THE hackers behind the attacks on Google Inc and dozens of other companies operating in China stole valuable computer source code by breaking into the personal computers of employees with privileged access, a security firm said on Wednesday.

The hackers targeted a small number of employees who controlled source code management systems, which handle the myriad changes that developers make as they write software, said George Kurtz, chief technology officer at anti-virus software maker McAfee Inc.

The details from McAfee show how the breach of just a single PC at a large corporation can have widespread repercussions across the broader business.

Google said in January that it had detected a cyber attack originating from China on its corporate infrastructure that resulted in the theft of its intellectual property. Google said more than 20 other companies had been infiltrated, and cited the attack, as well as Chinese Web censorship practices, as reasons for the company to consider pulling out of China.

The Chinese government has said that Google's claim that it was attacked by hackers based in China was 'groundless.' Mr Kurtz said on Wednesday that he believes that the hackers, who have not been apprehended, broke through the defences of at least 30 companies, and perhaps as many as 100.

He said the common link in several of the cases that McAfee reviewed is that the hackers used source code management software from privately held Perforce Software Inc, whose customers include Google and many other large corporations. -- REUTERS

[millionairemind]

March 9, 2010, 6.41 am (Singapore time)

Google, Dish testing new TV search service

* Google testing Android enabled set-top boxes: report
* Users will be able to search content from Dish and Web

NEW YORK - Google Inc and US satellite TV operator Dish Network Corp are jointly testing a television programming search service, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

The paper said the service runs on TV set-top boxes which use elements of Google's Android wireless operating system. It allows users to search content from Dish as well as websites such as YouTube, and to personalise the lineup of shows.

More set-top boxes and TV sets with Internet access are becoming available to consumers including a new Web enabled device from TiVo Inc, the set-top box maker.

The Journal said Google hopes to link the new service with its fledgling TV ad-brokering business, allowing it to target ads to individual households based on customer data.

A spokesman for Dish declined to comment while a spokesperson for Google was not immediately available. -- REUTERS