by Andrew LaVallee, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal, Digits
Google today reported a year-over-year decline in fourth-quarter profit, hurt by $1.09 billion in write-downs related to AOL and Clearwire. Operating earnings rose, however, and revenue climbed 18 percent to $5.70 billion from the year-earlier period. Google’s revenue, excluding traffic-acquisition costs, was $4.22 billion, above the Thomson Reuters estimate of $4.12 billion. Earnings per share, excluding certain items, was $5.10, beating estimates. The company also announced plans for an options exchange program for workers whose stock options are underwater.
by Nicholas Carlson, Blogger, Silicon Alley Insider
When he joined the company last summer, Google CFO Patrick Pichette said he intended to “feed the winners” and “starve the losers.” Lately, insiders have begun crediting him for bringing new discipline to Google. One told us that Patrick has been “taking on a lot of the low-hanging fruit” and that “it’s going to make a difference in revenues over the next year.”
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