Google’s European mea culpa

Google’s European chief executive acknowledges that the company has mishandled its messaging in Europe and is offering an olive branch to the European Commission. Matt Brittin, who oversees Google’s European activities, said in his first interview addressing the anti-trust charges lodged against the company in April, that while the search engine company disagrees with the accusations, it remains open to a settlement agreement. “We want to be pragmatic and get to a point where we can continue to invest in building great products for everyone,” he said.

Brittin acknowledged that Google had failed to explain its business and vision to policymakers in Brussels and elsewhere in Europe, and said that the company was trying to adjust its American-rooted Silicon Valley image. He said that in countries like Germany, France or Spain, Google for too long has seemed “like a West coast-driven, liberal values thing.” “We don’t always get it right,” Brittin said. “As far as Europe is concerned: we get it. We understand that people here are not the same in their attitudes to everything as people in America.” “We just didn’t have the people on the ground to be able to have some of those conversations as we grew.” His role as president for Europe, a new position created to unify Google’s operations here, reflects that realization. Brittin said Google should better explain how it benefits Europe’s economy, culture and small enterprises. He now expects to be in Brussels at least once a month, although he declined to specify what percentage of his time he spends on public affairs.