Google to expand India operations
By siliconindia staff writer   |   Wednesday, 13 October 2004, 19:30 IST
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HYDERABAD: They might strike you as the typical Silicon Valley brats in their jeans and sneakers. But for techies-turned-billionaires , Sergey Brin and Larry Page, life has changed little after the August listing of Google, the search engine company they co-founded six years back, that resulted in a personal networth of roughly $4bn each, reports Economic Times. So much so, that jumping on to a three-wheeler auto in Hyderabad, and a CNG-powered bus in Delhi comes as easily to them as jetting across the world to see the numerous offices they are setting up. The duo thinks that India will be a great place to expand as it has great potential, particularly Hyderabad which is Google’s second office in the country after Bangalore. “I’m very impressed by the autos here,” said Mr Brin, after the auto ride in Hyderabad on Tuesday, when the duo stopped by to visit the Google office and inspect the upcoming space in the RMZ Complex at Madhapur. “They are so versatile and easy to manoeuvre that I was actually thinking of getting one for the office,” he quipped in a lighter vein. But more impressive were the CNG-powered buses and autos in New Delhi. “It is a shame we don’t have them in California, considering the huge potential these vehicles have,” he added, commenting on their one-day trip to the city on Monday, where they met President Abdul Kalam. “The president was more knowledgeable about Google than perhaps most of us,” said co-founder Mr Page, who also doubles up as president, products. “He wanted us to see how Google could be tailored for the blind, apart from exploring how it could be more productive for the youth,” he added. But then, how does it feel to be a billionaire? one is tempted to ask. Little has changed, responded Mr Page, though hesitantly. But Mr Brin is more forthcoming. “We are billionaires only for the name. What’s changed is that now I can afford to change all my socks with the same coloured pairs so that I don’t have to match them every time,” he quips. Jokes apart, what about business and their plans for India? “India will be a great place to expand,” Mr Brin felt. “Our first remote office was in New York and we were able to grow our business substantially. We hope to see the same kind of advantages and growth from our presence in India,” he added, before going on to list the places where he would like to see a Google office, including Russia for personal reasons — it’s from where his parents hail —perhaps the Far East, and maybe China in the not-too-distant future. Dublin and Zurich are the most recent offices opened by Google. There is also a possibility that Google could germinate a business out of India, particularly from the research being carried out by the Bangalore centre, agreed Mr Page over a cup of tea, after a meeting with reporters here on Tuesday.

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