Google CEO: we'll keep investing in non-core

Google co-founder and CEO Larry Page told investors Google will continue to push hard into areas beyond its core search business. While it may not be what they wanted to hear, Page said he considered  encouraging these big bets to be a key part of his job, and that the impediment to do even more was not cash, but instead finding people willing to take the risk.

In his remarks at an analyst conference  - which can be reviewed on Seeking Alpha  -  and later in response to a question from Macquarie Capital's Ben Schachter, Page said companies which never do anything different often run into problems eventually. It was a common failure mode, he said.

"I think honestly my job as CEO is to get people to do those things.... I think the reality is it’s pretty hard to invest significant amounts in new things, because it’s actually difficult to get people to do those things.

Page told the investors that Google was still focused on core business but that it was important to keep taking new risks. "As an investor, I am big shareholder of Google, I’m certainly not worried about the expense of that because I don’t think like I said it’s not easy to spend that much money on the new things. I’ll be more worried that we don’t do those things fast enough and build on revolutionary change that happens in the technology industries."

Earlier he gave examples of Google's approach. "Over the last two years, we worked hard to increase our velocity, improve our execution, and focus on the big bets that will make a difference in the world. Take Google Now, our goal is to get you the right information at just the right time. Launched nine months ago, Now provides boarding passes, delivery updates, and traffic conditions without you having to ask first. In this quarter, we added movie tickets nicely packaged with directions to the theatre."

"I am also excited about our Voice Search momentum. Looking for the nearest pharmacy, just ask Google for directions, and we’ll deliver them instantly, no typing needed. And you can now ask conversational questions like do I need a jacket this weekend. Voice commands are going to be increasingly important, it's just much less hassle to talk than type."

Google executives also suggested a cold shower for those critics who worry about the migration of online dollars to mobile, or about the impact of the closed apps eco-systems on search.

The company wants to connect with customers at any point of the information cycle and ensure that the user transition was as seamless as possible as they shifted through devices during the day, depending on the mode and context of their engagement with the web.