Google co-founder Sergey Brin made a splashy entrance during a San
Francisco conference while CEO Larry Page recovered from an ailment that
has left him unable to speak.
Page's absence from one of Google's
marquee events wasn't a surprise because the Internet search leader had
announced at its annual shareholders' meeting last week that he wouldn't
be attending.
Without providing any specifics about what caused
the problem, Google Inc. said Page lost his voice. Although Page still
is well enough to carry out his CEO duties, Page isn't expected to speak
during a conference call planned next month to review the company's
second-quarter earnings.
Brin told reporters Wednesday that Page is fine except for his inability to speak, which started a few weeks ago.
"He just needs to rest his voice," Brin said of his long-time partner.
Brin
joked that Page might be an even more effective CEO because he is
taking more time to choose his words. He declined to elaborate on what
caused Page to lose his voice.
Even when he can speak, Page tends
to shun the spotlight. He didn't appear at Google's annual "I/O"
conference for computer programmers last year either. Google held last
year's event less than two months after Page replaced his longtime
mentor, Eric Schmidt, as CEO.
Brin, who started Google with Page
in 1998, has never been a wallflower. He wowed a standing room-only
crowd of about 6,000 people Wednesday when he jogged on stage to
interrupt a presentation about a new feature on Google Plus, the
company's alternative to Facebook's social network.
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