Editing Larry Page (section)

==== Acquisition strategy and new products ====
When acquiring products and companies for Google, Page asked whether the [[business acquisition]] passed the toothbrush test as an initial qualifier, asking the question "Is it something you will use once or twice a day, and does it make your life better?". This approach looked for usefulness above profitability, and long-term potential over near-term financial gain, which has been noted as rare in business acquiring processes.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.inc.com/larry-kim/how-google-s-ceo-only-buys-companies-that-pass-his-crazy-toothbrush-test.html |title = Why Google's Larry Page Only Buys Companies That Pass His Crazy Toothbrush Test |website = Inc.com |date = August 28, 2014 |access-date = February 8, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150208082135/http://www.inc.com/larry-kim/how-google-s-ceo-only-buys-companies-that-pass-his-crazy-toothbrush-test.html |archive-date = February 8, 2015 |url-status=live |df = mdy-all }}</ref><ref>
{{cite web |url = https://dealbook.nytimes.com/2014/08/17/in-silicon-valley-mergers-must-meet-the-toothbrush-test/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=1 |title = In Silicon Valley, Mergers Must Meet the Toothbrush Test |author = David Gelles |work = The New York Times |date = August 18, 2014 |access-date = March 5, 2017 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181106195854/https://dealbook.nytimes.com/2014/08/17/in-silicon-valley-mergers-must-meet-the-toothbrush-test/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=1 |archive-date = November 6, 2018 |url-status=live |df = mdy-all }}
</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/larry-page-toothbrush-test-google-acquisitions-2014-8?IR=T |title=Larry Page Toothbrush Test Google Acquisitions – Business Insider |date=August 18, 2014 |work=Business Insider |access-date=February 8, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150208082519/http://www.businessinsider.com/larry-page-toothbrush-test-google-acquisitions-2014-8?IR=T |archive-date=February 8, 2015 |url-status=live  }}</ref>

With Facebook's influence rapidly expanding during the start of Page's second tenure, he finally responded to the intensive competition with Google's own social network, [[Google+]], in mid-2011. After several delays, the social network was released through a very limited field test and was led by [[Vic Gundotra]], Google's then senior vice president of social.<ref>{{cite web |author=Ben Parr |title=Google Launches Google+ To Battle Facebook [PICS] |url=http://mashable.com/2011/06/28/google-plus/ |website=Mashable |access-date=February 2, 2015 |date=June 28, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150211011327/http://mashable.com/2011/06/28/google-plus/ |archive-date=February 11, 2015 |url-status=live  }}</ref>

In August 2011, Page announced that Google would spend $12.5 billion to acquire [[Motorola Mobility]].<ref>{{cite web |author=Robin Wauters |title=Google Buys Motorola Mobility For $12.5B, Says "Android Will Stay Open" |url=https://techcrunch.com/2011/08/15/breaking-google-buys-motorola-for-12-5-billion/ |website=TechCrunch |publisher=AOL Inc |access-date=February 2, 2015 |date=August 15, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170609042131/https://techcrunch.com/2011/08/15/breaking-google-buys-motorola-for-12-5-billion/ |archive-date=June 9, 2017 |url-status=live  }}</ref> The purchase was primarily motivated by Google's need to secure [[patents]] to protect Android from lawsuits by companies including [[Apple Inc]].<ref name="Car"/> Page wrote on Google's official blog on August 15, 2011, that "companies including Microsoft and Apple are banding together in anti-competitive patent attacks on Android. The [[United States Department of Justice]] had to intervene in the results of one recent patent auction to 'protect competition and innovation in the [[open source software]] community' [...] Our acquisition of Motorola will increase competition by strengthening Google's patent portfolio, which will enable us to better protect Android from anti-competitive threats from Microsoft, Apple and other companies".<ref>{{cite web |url = http://googleblog.blogspot.se/2011/08/supercharging-android-google-to-acquire.html |title = Official Google Blog: Supercharging Android: Google to Acquire Motorola Mobility |work = Official Google Blog |access-date = February 8, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150208092717/http://googleblog.blogspot.se/2011/08/supercharging-android-google-to-acquire.html |archive-date = February 8, 2015 |url-status=live |df = mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://bgr.com/2011/08/15/google-ceo-larry-page-explains-reasoning-behind-motorola-acquisition-spoiler-patents/|title=Google CEO Larry Page explains reasoning behind Motorola acquisition (spoiler: patents)|work=BGR|date=August 15, 2011|access-date=February 8, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150208170345/http://bgr.com/2011/08/15/google-ceo-larry-page-explains-reasoning-behind-motorola-acquisition-spoiler-patents/|archive-date=February 8, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2014, Page sold Motorola Mobility for $2.9 billion to Personal Computer maker, Lenovo which represented a loss in value of $9.5 billion over two years.<ref>{{cite web |author=Roger Cheng |title=Google sells Motorola unit to Lenovo for $2.9B |url=https://www.cnet.com/news/google-sells-motorola-unit-to-lenovo-for-2-9b/ |website=CNet |access-date=November 9, 2019 |date=January 29, 2014 |archive-date=September 4, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200904033204/https://www.cnet.com/news/google-sells-motorola-unit-to-lenovo-for-2-9b/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Page also ventured into hardware and Google unveiled the [[Chromebook]] in May 2012. The hardware product was a laptop that ran on a Google operating system, [[ChromeOS]].<ref>{{cite web |author=Om Malik |title=Google launches Chromebook, Chromebox & gets it right |url=https://gigaom.com/2012/05/29/google-newchromebook-chromebox/ |website=Gigaom |publisher=Gigaom, Inc. |access-date=February 2, 2015 |date=May 29, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150202205026/https://gigaom.com/2012/05/29/google-newchromebook-chromebox/ |archive-date=February 2, 2015 |url-status=live  }}</ref>