Google Founders Interviewed by Barbara Walters
Google’s founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, were interviewed last night by Barbara Walters on ABC’s 20/20 10 Most Fascinating People. Andy Beal who doesn’t seem to be too fond of Barbara Wawa pointed this out on his SearchEngineLowdown blog. I was too busy eating chicken curry and watching a Los Hombres Calientes DVD to catch the interview but luckilly, ABC does have a transcript available.
Here’s a snippet from the program:
Larry Page and Sergey Brin are not your typical billionaires. In fact, if you type billionaire into Google, the picture that emerges — fancy cars, private jets, mansions, jewels, supermodel girlfriends — isn’t anything you’d find in the lifestyle of the Google guys. Page drives a Prius, which costs around $21,000. Brin gets around for the most part on in-line skates, and he still lives in a rented apartment.
Since taking Google public earlier this year, each is worth an estimated $6 billion. Even the way they took their company public was innovative. They let ordinary people bid on shares in their initial public offering, not just the big banks, because they thought it was fairer.
In fact, they see their work as more of a vocation than as a means of getting rich. “We feel like we’re making a difference in the world — giving people information that they want really quickly and effectively,” Page said.
Apparently, Brin and Page did not break out in tears.
