How Did Larry Page Make His Money?

How Did Larry Page Get Started

Larry Page grew up with cutting-edge technology. Both of his parents worked in the technology field. His father was a pioneer in computer science and artificial intelligence.

He taught computer science at his alma mater, the University of Michigan. His mother also taught computer science, at University of Michigan’s Lyman Briggs College.

A Youth Surrounded by Innovative Technology

The Page house was filled with technologies most people couldn’t imagine at the time. When Larry was six, his father brought home an Exidy Sorcerer computer.

While not the first home personal computer, the Exidy Sorcer had several features that made it an impressive machine. For instance, it boasted the fastest microcomputer chip set for the time and an output that owners could connect to a television or dedicated monitor.

Young Larry Page quickly mastered the computer and learned how to write programs in BASIC. He says he was the first person at his elementary school to submit homework written on a word processor.

Undergraduate and Graduate Computer Science Studies

Page enrolled at the University of Michigan, where he majored in computer science.

He then completed a master’s program at Stanford. The whole time, the student tinkered with innovative inventions, including an inkjet printer he built from LEGOs.

The Beginnings of Google

Larry Page found a home at Stanford, so he enrolled in the PhD program to study the World Wide Web’s underlying properties.

During this time, he met and befriended fellow student Sergey Brin. The two began work on a project called BackRub, which studied how they could build a search engine that used backlinks to rank results.

By 1998, they had enough research to launch Google, which they ran from a garage stocked with servers they purchased with help from Sun Microsystem’s Andy Bechtolsheim.

How Much Google Stock Does Larry Page Own?

Larry Page owns a little over 389.05 million shares in Alphabet, the company that owns Google. That makes him the company’s second-largest stockholder.

Sergey Brin reported that he owns nearly 368.71 million shares.

With the current price of GOOG shares, Page’s portion is worth about $2.73 billion, and Brin’s is worth about $51.38 billion.

Larry Page, CEO of Alphabet

Larry Page has served as the CEO of Google and Alphabet when the companies needed his guidance. He first took Google’s helm in 2001, but he didn’t hold the position for long.

Eric Schmidt took over the role before the end of the year. At first, Page didn’t want to leave the position, but he felt pressured by major investors. A meeting with Steve Jobs and Andrew Grove convinced him that the company would grow faster in the hands of a more experienced executive.

He returned as CEO in 2011, when Schmidt became Google’s executive chairman. At that point, the company had gone through a successful IPO and achieved unprecedented brand recognition. Google’s users were no longer “searching” for information online. They were “googling.”

During this era at Google, Page gave executives more leadership opportunities. They could oversee their departments and pursue the projects that interested them. Page intrinsically trusted his executives to make smart decisions that would benefit the company’s long-term success.

By 2015, Google’s leadership team felt that the company had grown beyond its original goals. Page announced that he would become the CEO of a new parent company, Alphabet. Companies operating under the Alphabet umbrella during Page’s term as CEO (2015-2019) include:

• Nest
• Waze
• DoubleClick
• YouTube
• Picasa
• Android
• reCAPTCHA

What Does Larry Page Do Now?

Larry Page currently spends most of his working hours as an Alphabet controlling shareholder, board member, and employee. His other interests include:

• A major investment in Tesla Motors
• Backing the electric aviation company, Kitty Hawk
• Promoting plug-in hybrid vehicles and renewable energy sources
• Helping fund the transhumanist think tank Singularity Group

How Did Larry Page Make His Money?

Larry Page made his money as the founder of Google, where he owns 389.05 million shares worth an estimated $116 billoin.

He’s become hugely successful by investing his intellect and curiosity in ways he could push the boundaries of internet technology.

His parents encouraged Page’s talents from a very young age, and he could write programs in BASIC by the time he was six. As a PhD student, he found like-minded people at Stanford and began work on the technology that would become Google.

Google provided the recognition and money Page needed to pursue other interests. Although he wasn’t Google’s most experienced CEO, he had keen instincts for how technology businesses should function. He placed significant value on innovation, creative thinking, and novel problem-solving strategies.

Larry Page’s Net Worth

At the time of writing, Larry Page has an estimated net worth of $126 billion, making him the ninth-wealthiest person in the world.

Sergey Brin, who co-founded Google with Page, is the tenth-wealthiest person with a net worth of $109.3 billion.

Who Manages Larry Page’s Money?

Silicon Valley reports say that Morgan Stanley manages Larry Page’s money.

The investment bank and financial services provider also oversees the Page family’s real estate and overseas business ventures.

What Companies Does Larry Page Own?

Larry Page doesn’t own any companies outright, but he owns a significant percentage of Alphabet shares. Arguably, that makes him the co-owner of companies like:

• Fitbit
• Open Source Robotics Corporation
• Mandiant (a cybersecurity firm)
• Looker (a business intelligence solutions developer)

In all, Alphabet owns over 250 brands, so Larry Page is connected to a long list of businesses. Of course, Google is the most popular and financially successful of the group.

Does Larry Page Have a Private Jet?

Larry Page owns several private jets that he and other Google executives use. In fact, Google executives maintain a private airplane hangar at Moffet Airfield in Mountain View, California.

Some of the private jets in Larry Page’s collection include:

• Boeing 767-200, which he and Sergey Brin purchased for $15 million and renovated for an additional $10 million
• Boeing 757
• Dornier Alpha
• Two Gulfstream Vs

Does Larry Page Donate Money to Charity?

Larry Page has donated billions of dollars to philanthropic organizations. Some of the organizations he has supported include:

• The American Cancer Society
• The New Venture Fund
• The Carl Victor Page Memorial Foundation

Although he has donated a lot of money, Page’s philanthropic endeavors have received criticism from some. The vast majority of his contributions go to donor advised funds (DAFs).

Many philanthropists criticize DAFs as tax-avoidance schemes that only funnel money toward the donor’s pet causes. Reports show that more than 97% of Page’s charitable giving has gone to DAFs.

Critics also note that he gives most of his money to a foundation he started in honor of his father. Larry Page is the foundation’s director, chairman, and president. Page’s wife, Lucy Southworth, is the foundation’s co-director and chief financial officer.

In other words, Page and his wife control how the foundation’s funds get distributed. Anyone who disapproves of this arrangement might say that Page uses it as a tax shelter instead of giving money directly to charitable organizations. The foundation can even hold donations for years, earning tax advantages without distributing any money.

Similar accusations have been leveled against other billionaires, including Bill Gates, who formed the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and Mark Zuckerberg, who co-founded the Chan Zuckerberg Foundation with his wife, Priscilla Chan.

While these criticisms might hold some validity, it’s still important to note that Larry Page has played an important role in funding cancer research and other worthwhile ventures.

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