Google CEO Speaks Publicly Again, Says He's 'Hopeful' About Outcome of Antitrust Probes

Google Chief Executive Larry Page is talking publicly again. The 39-year-old Page made his first public comments in several months when he appeared at Google's annual Zeitgeist conference in Paradise Valley (AZ), where the Internet company hosts its business partners.

Speaking with a raspy voice in front of an audience of several hundred people, Page spent more than half an hour addressing topics including Google's dealings with antitrust regulators and the recent flap with Apple over maps software. Page said he is "hopeful" the company will be able to "work well" with antitrust regulators and resolve probes of its business in the European Union and the U.S. He added that "I do think over-regulation of the Internet and restriction of what people can do is a big risk for us." Page made several comments that reflected the arguments Google has used to counter claims by competitors that it has increasingly pointed Web-search engine users to Google's specialized services, such as Google Places or the Google+ social networking service, rather than pointing people to sites run by its competitors.