Google CEO Larry Page to miss I/O, next month's earnings call due to "throat condition"
Is something wrong with Larry Page? That is the question being asked by industry analysts after Google’s CEO missed a shareholder meeting yesterday. A Google spokesperson explained that Page had a “throat condition” that required him to refrain from speaking. That one event might not have triggered much of a reaction, but Google also announced that Page would be missing next week’s I/O conference, as well as the Q2 earnings report scheduled for next month.
That Google would already rule out Page’s participation in an event that is still several weeks away is what has generated some concern from Wall Street, as the detail-free explanation seems reminiscent of many of Apple’s denials about Steve Jobs health condition – at one time Apple notoriously indicated that Jobs had “a bug” when he had undergone rapid weight loss due to cancer treatment.
Doug Anmuth of JP Morgan had this to say:
Of course Mr. Page may also simply treasure his privacy and not want to share the details of an otherwise ordinary illness, but Wall Street is always afraid of uncertainty, and uncertainty about the long-term health of a CEO is one of those things that investors will probably keep an eye on until Page returns to regular public appearances.
source: Business Insider
Doug Anmuth of JP Morgan had this to say:
Co-founder and CEO Larry Page was not present at the shareholder meeting. Google indicated that he had lost his voice and was unable to speak at the meeting, and also that he would not be speaking at next week’s Google I/O developer conference or the company’s 2Q earnings call. We have no specific reason to think there is anything more to Larry’s condition, but we find it odd that the company would already rule him out of the 2Q call which is likely still a few weeks away. We think this could raise some questions among investors. We note that Larry does not appear to have posted on Google+ since May 25.
Of course Mr. Page may also simply treasure his privacy and not want to share the details of an otherwise ordinary illness, but Wall Street is always afraid of uncertainty, and uncertainty about the long-term health of a CEO is one of those things that investors will probably keep an eye on until Page returns to regular public appearances.
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed: