Larry Page

Larry Page
Page in 2009
Larry Page
Born	Lawrence Edward Page 26 3, 1973
Birthplace	Lansing, Michigan, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Businessman, computer scientist
Known for	Co-founding Google, co-creating PageRank, CEO of Alphabet Inc.
Education	M.S., Computer Science (Stanford University)
Children	2
Awards	Marconi Prize (2004)
Website	[https://www.google.com/corporate/execs.html#larry Official site]

Lawrence Edward Page (born March 26, 1973) is an American businessman and computer scientist who co-founded Google alongside Sergey Brin while both were Ph.D. students at Stanford University. What began as a graduate research project to develop a novel search-ranking algorithm called PageRank—named after Page himself—grew into one of the most consequential technology companies in modern history. Page served as Google's first chief executive officer from its founding in 1998 until 2001, returned to the CEO role from 2011 to 2015, and then became CEO of Alphabet Inc., Google's parent organization, from 2015 until December 2019. Since stepping down from day-to-day management alongside Brin, Page has remained on Alphabet's board of directors as an employee and controlling shareholder. According to Forbes, Page is among the wealthiest individuals in the world. In recent years, Page has drawn attention for relocating personal and business interests from California to Florida amid debates over proposed wealth-tax legislation in the state.

Early Life

Lawrence Edward Page was born on March 26, 1973, in Lansing, Michigan. He grew up in a household steeped in computer science and technology. Both of his parents were academics at Michigan State University; his father, Carl Victor Page Sr., was a professor of computer science and artificial intelligence, and his mother, Gloria Page, was an instructor in computer programming. This academic environment exposed Page to computers and technology publications at a young age.

Page has spoken publicly about the influence his family had on his intellectual development. His childhood home was filled with computers and technology magazines, and he has noted that he became interested in invention and technology from an early age. He was drawn to the work of Nikola Tesla and has cited the inventor's story—particularly Tesla's struggles to commercialize his inventions—as an early and lasting influence on his thinking about the relationship between technological innovation and business.

Page attended the Okemos Montessori School (now called Montessori Radmoor) in Okemos, Michigan, before attending East Lansing High School. He later enrolled at the University of Michigan, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in computer engineering. During his time at Michigan, Page was active in various engineering projects and served as president of the school's chapter of Eta Kappa Nu, the national electrical and computer engineering honor society. He also participated in a LeaderShape seminar during his undergraduate years, which he has described as an influence on his approach to ambition and leadership.

After completing his undergraduate education, Page enrolled in the Ph.D. program in computer science at Stanford University in 1995. It was at Stanford that he met Sergey Brin, a fellow graduate student, and the two began the collaboration that would lead to the creation of Google.

Education

Page earned his Bachelor of Science degree in computer engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He subsequently pursued graduate studies at Stanford University, where he earned a Master of Science degree in computer science.

At Stanford, Page began exploring the mathematical properties of the World Wide Web, with a particular focus on understanding its link structure. His research advisor was Terry Winograd, a noted computer scientist. Page's dissertation research explored the idea that the importance of a web page could be assessed by analyzing the number and quality of links pointing to it—a concept that was fundamentally different from the keyword-based search methods that predominated at the time. This research became the basis for the PageRank algorithm, which Page developed with Brin. The algorithm treated hyperlinks on the web as analogous to citations in academic literature, assigning greater weight to pages that were linked to by other highly linked pages. Although Page began his work as part of a Ph.D. program, he took a leave of absence from Stanford to focus on building Google and did not complete his doctorate.

Career

Founding of Google

In 1996, Page and Brin began collaborating on a research project at Stanford University initially called "BackRub," which analyzed the web's link structure. The project evolved into the development of the PageRank algorithm, a system for ranking web pages based on their link relationships. Page and Brin recognized the commercial potential of their work and, in September 1998, incorporated Google Inc. in a garage in Menlo Park, California.

The name "Google" is a play on the word "googol," the mathematical term for the number one followed by one hundred zeros, reflecting the founders' ambition to organize the vast amount of information on the internet. Page served as the company's first chief executive officer, with Brin as president, during its earliest years of operation.

Google's search engine quickly gained popularity for delivering more relevant results than competing search tools of the era, largely due to the effectiveness of the PageRank algorithm. The company attracted significant venture capital funding and grew rapidly. By the early 2000s, Google had become one of the most visited websites in the world.

Transition to Eric Schmidt and the IPO

In August 2001, Page stepped aside as CEO, and Eric Schmidt, a seasoned technology executive who had previously served as CEO of Novell, was brought in to lead the company. Page assumed the role of president of products. This transition was driven in part by the desire of Google's investors and board to install an experienced executive to manage the company's rapid growth.

Under this leadership triumvirate—Schmidt as CEO, Page as president of products, and Brin as president of technology—Google continued to expand its product offerings and revenue streams. The company launched its initial public offering (IPO) on August 19, 2004, at a price of $85 per share. The IPO used an unconventional Dutch auction format, which was consistent with the founders' approach of challenging traditional business practices. The offering raised approximately $1.67 billion and gave the company a market capitalization of more than $23 billion.

During this period, Google introduced a series of products and services beyond its core search engine, including Gmail, Google Maps, Google News, and Google Earth. Page remained deeply involved in the company's product strategy and long-term planning throughout Schmidt's tenure as CEO.

Return as Google CEO (2011–2015)

On April 4, 2011, Page returned as CEO of Google, succeeding Schmidt, who transitioned to the role of executive chairman. Page's return marked the beginning of a period of significant organizational and strategic change at the company.

One of Page's first priorities upon returning was to streamline Google's sprawling product portfolio and sharpen the company's strategic focus. He initiated what was described internally and externally as a "spring cleaning" of products and services that were not aligned with Google's core priorities. In a March 2013 blog post, Page announced the discontinuation of several products, including Google Reader, as part of this ongoing effort to concentrate the company's resources.

Page also oversaw a significant redesign of Google's products under a unified aesthetic vision. According to reporting by The Verge, Page pushed for a more cohesive and visually consistent design language across Google's products, an effort that resulted in a comprehensive overhaul of the company's user interfaces. The redesign was described as one of the largest in the company's history and reflected Page's belief that good design was essential to Google's mission.

During his second stint as CEO, Page expanded Google's ambitions far beyond internet search and advertising. The company made a series of major acquisitions, including the purchase of Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion in 2012 and the acquisition of several robotics companies and artificial intelligence firms. Page also oversaw the development of ambitious "moonshot" projects, including self-driving cars, Google Glass, and Project Loon, an initiative to provide internet access via high-altitude balloons. A 2014 profile in Fortune described Page as one of the most ambitious chief executives in the technology industry, noting his willingness to pursue large-scale technological projects with uncertain commercial outcomes.

In a wide-ranging 2013 interview with Wired, Page discussed his management philosophy and his view of Google's role in the world. He expressed a belief that technology companies should focus on solving large-scale problems and that the potential for technology to improve people's lives was broadly underestimated. He also discussed his views on competition, regulation, and the pace of innovation.

Creation of Alphabet Inc. and Later Role

In August 2015, Page announced the creation of Alphabet Inc., a new holding company that would serve as the parent organization for Google and its various subsidiaries. Under this restructuring, Google became a wholly owned subsidiary of Alphabet, with Sundar Pichai assuming the role of Google's CEO. Page became CEO of Alphabet, while Brin served as its president.

The creation of Alphabet was designed to provide greater organizational clarity by separating Google's core internet businesses—search, advertising, YouTube, and Android—from the company's more experimental ventures, which were reorganized as independent subsidiaries under the Alphabet umbrella. These included Waymo (self-driving vehicles), Verily (life sciences), Calico (biotechnology), Wing (drone delivery), and X Development (the company's research laboratory). The restructuring was intended to allow each unit to operate with greater independence and accountability.

On December 3, 2019, Page and Brin jointly announced that they would step down from their executive roles at Alphabet. Page relinquished the CEO title, which was assumed by Pichai, who became CEO of both Google and Alphabet. Brin stepped down as president, a role that was not filled. In their announcement, Page and Brin indicated that they believed the company was well-positioned under Pichai's leadership and that stepping back from day-to-day management was the right decision. Both remained on Alphabet's board of directors and retained their controlling shares of the company's stock through their ownership of Class B supervoting shares.

Investment and Other Business Interests

Outside of Google and Alphabet, Page has invested in and supported a number of technology ventures. He has been involved in funding companies and projects in areas including renewable energy, electric aviation, and space exploration. Page has been a backer of companies developing electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, including Kitty Hawk Corporation, a startup focused on personal air vehicles, and Opener (later known as Pivotal), another electric aircraft company.

Page has also been reported to have invested in various early-stage technology companies through personal investment vehicles. His broader business interests have included ventures related to climate technology and sustainable energy.

Relocation to Florida

In early 2026, multiple news outlets reported that Page had been reducing his ties to California and relocating personal and business entities to Florida. According to The Wall Street Journal, Page spent approximately $173.4 million on two residential properties in the Coconut Grove neighborhood of Miami, Florida.

Reporting by Business Insider indicated that Page's family had been converting business entities to Florida-based operations as California debated a proposed wealth tax that would apply to the state's wealthiest residents. The New York Times reported that Page's Google co-founder, Sergey Brin, subsequently followed Page in reducing ties to California, part of a broader pattern of high-profile technology executives and billionaires relocating away from the state. Fortune noted that Page's move paralleled a similar relocation by Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, who had moved from the Seattle area to Miami.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Page was among several prominent billionaires, including Larry Ellison, who moved business operations out of California as the state's proposed "billionaire tax" was debated in the legislature. Coverage by WLRN highlighted the broader effects of ultrawealthy individuals moving into the Coconut Grove area, noting the tensions and transformations the influx of billionaires was creating in the neighborhood.

Personal Life

Page has maintained a relatively private personal life compared to many other prominent technology executives. He married Lucinda Southworth, a research scientist, in 2007 on Necker Island, the private island owned by Richard Branson. The couple have two children.

Page has spoken publicly about health issues on occasion. He has disclosed that he suffers from a condition affecting his vocal cords, which has at times resulted in a notably hoarse speaking voice and has limited his public appearances. The condition has not been described in detail by Page but has been reported as involving partial vocal cord paralysis.

Page has expressed personal interest in areas including urban transportation, sustainable energy, and the potential for technology to address large-scale societal challenges. In interviews, he has discussed his admiration for inventors and entrepreneurs who pursued ambitious goals, including Nikola Tesla and the aviation pioneers.

Recognition

Page and Brin were jointly awarded the Marconi Prize in 2004 in recognition of their co-invention of Google and their development of the PageRank algorithm. The Marconi Prize is awarded by the Marconi Society to individuals who have made significant contributions to the advancement of communications and information technology through discoveries in the physical and information sciences.

Page has been recognized in numerous rankings and lists of influential business figures. Forbes has consistently listed him among the wealthiest individuals in the world, and as of early 2026, his estimated wealth made him one of the two or three richest people globally.

Fortune magazine named Page one of the most influential business leaders in the technology industry, with a 2014 cover story describing his scope of ambition as CEO and noting his pursuit of projects spanning autonomous vehicles, life sciences, and internet infrastructure. Page has also been recognized with honorary degrees and accolades from various academic and industry organizations over the course of his career.

Page's academic contributions, particularly the PageRank algorithm, have been cited extensively in computer science literature. His publication record is documented in the DBLP computer science bibliography.

Legacy

Larry Page's impact on the technology industry and the broader economy centers on the creation and growth of Google, which transformed the way information is organized, accessed, and monetized on the internet. The PageRank algorithm, which he co-developed with Brin, introduced a fundamentally new approach to web search by evaluating the quality and quantity of links to a page as a proxy for its relevance and authority. This approach became the foundation for Google's search engine, which grew to dominate the global search market.

Under Page's leadership, Google expanded from a search engine into a diversified technology company with major products in email (Gmail), online video (YouTube), mobile operating systems (Android), cloud computing, and digital advertising. The company's advertising platform became one of the largest revenue-generating systems in the history of the internet, fundamentally reshaping the economics of digital media and publishing.

Page's decision to create Alphabet Inc. in 2015 represented an organizational innovation in the technology industry, establishing a holding-company structure that allowed the company to pursue long-term research and development projects—such as autonomous vehicles, life sciences, and drone delivery—under independent subsidiaries while maintaining the profitability of the core Google business. This model influenced how other large technology companies thought about organizing diverse business units.

Page's career has also raised questions that continue to be debated in public discourse, including issues related to the market power of large technology platforms, the privacy implications of data-driven business models, and the role of technology companies in shaping public access to information. His decision to step back from active management of Alphabet while retaining voting control through supervoting shares has been a subject of discussion regarding corporate governance in the technology sector.

His more recent relocation from California to Florida, amid policy debates over wealth taxation, has placed Page at the center of broader discussions about the geographic mobility of the ultrawealthy and the fiscal implications for states that have historically been home to major technology companies and their founders.