Google is constantly trying to reinvent the wheel, sometimes it works and other times it does not, and Google moves on – well here is hoping that their latest idea/investment in a new company called Calico, which stands for California Life Company, comes to fruition. In an interview with Time, Google’s Co-Founder and CEO, Larry Page, explained Google’s hits and misses into the healthcare field; Google Heath was one of those misses, although with their latest venture, Calico, he explains that certain benefits can only be obtained only after 10 or 20 years of going from an idea to something you can actually use, and health care is one such area. In a statement today on Google’s site he announced this new investment saying:
Illness and aging affect all our families. With some longer term, moonshot thinking around healthcare and biotechnology, I believe we can improve millions of lives. It’s impossible to imagine anyone better than Art–one of the leading scientists, entrepreneurs and CEOs of our generation–to take this new venture forward.
The Art that Page is referring to, is Arthur D. Levinson, Chairman and former CEO of Genentech and Chairman of Apple. He will retain those positions as well as his new Calico title of Chief Executive Officer, as well as a founding investor in Calico. When asked why he took on this new role, Art said:
I’ve devoted much of my life to science and technology, with the goal of improving human health. Larry’s focus on outsized improvements has inspired me, and I’m tremendously excited about what’s next.
Now you may have noticed that Art is also “Chairman of Apple,” and might be wondering what Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook’s feelings on their Chairman’s new role at a Google own company, but Cook said:
For too many of our friends and family, life has been cut short or the quality of their life is too often lacking. Art is one of the crazy ones who thinks it doesn’t have to be this way. There is no one better suited to lead this mission and I am excited to see the results.
It is well known that Larry Page was inflicted with vocal-cord nerve damage that paralyzed one cord about 14 years ago and the other vocal cord damaged by a cold last summer. Even though having this condition may have softened his speech; it has never slowed down this busy entrepreneur from running, what the Times calls, “the most successful, ubiquitous and increasingly strange companies on the planet.”
They are first and foremost in the search engine and advertising business, but the ways they seek out that business range from mobile-operating devices and Android software, free email services, online mapping business, driverless cars, to wearable computer devices. Some are mainstream business ventures and others are on the high-risk end; fortunately, Google can afford it. When Larry Page speaks, it may be just a whisper, but out of his mouth come loud ideas!