Google board member hates party animals
WEB 2.0 SUMMIT — Kleiner Perkins partner John Doerr is on stage, getting interviewed by conference organizer John Battelle. His explanation for why he invested in Google? Larry and Sergey were "really nerdy" and had no social lives. There's something to that. Does that mean Doerr will start selling his still-extensive Google holdings, now that Sergey seems to be comfortable taking the night off? We can only imagine what he thinks about anyone prone to playing the John Doerr drinking game.
Battelle asks Doerr why Kleiner didn't invest in Facebook. "Out of loyalty," says Doerr, citing his firm's investment in Friendster. Oops. Doerr goes on to note that Friendster is big in Malaysia, drawing derisive laughter from the audience. He sounds equally ridiculous when Battelle asks him if Kleiner missed this generation of Web startups. Doerr cites Google and Amazon.com as Web 2.0 startups, and says that his firm has backed 20 new Web startups in the past year. (We should put this on the drinking game next time.)
Doerr and Battelle talk politics a bit. "You can't just fly in there when you have an idea," says Doerr. Sounds like verbatim advice he's given to Larry and Sergey, doesn't it?
Battelle asks Doerr to talk about the environment. Finally, the first drink! Oh, and he also mentions Moore's Law. (No drink, but it should be.) He mentions his daughter. Another drink!
One odd moment: Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos's name comes up. "He doesn't pick up the phone for me," says Doerr, who's on Amazon's board. Bezos doesn't take Doerr's phone calls? What does that mean?