01 November 2010 | Author: J. Morton News Editor
In a relatively giant move in the internet sphere, Lars Rasmussen, a Google big shot who just so happened to co-found the company's wildly successful Maps plug-in, has headed for new pastures at the Facebook social club.
Citing a "compelling personal pitch" from the man himself, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Rasmussen decided to resign from his post at Mountain View after six years with the search giant.
The developer told the Sydney Morning Herald in a telephone interview that the offer was too good to pass up.
"It feels to me that Facebook may be a sort of once-in-a-decade type of company," he said. "Obviously they've already changed the world and yet there seems to be so much more to be done there. And I think that it's the right place for me to be."
Rasmussen said he wouldn't have guessed Facebook to be the game-changer it has become in recent years, adding he would "have a great deal to learn there from Mark and his team."
The Sydney-based developer joined the Google team after his fledgling mapping start up, Where 2 Technologies, was acquired by the tech giant in 2004, leading him, along with his brother and others, to create the now-ubiquitous Google Maps tool.
He was also responsible for developing the ill-received Google Wave platform, which Google ceased development and support for over the summer.
Rasmussen told the Morning Herald Google had hoped for a bigger success from Wave and that he campaigned against its abandonment.
"Ultimately failing was obviously a little stressful," he admitted.
A spokesman for Facebook confirmed Rasmussen's addition to the ranks in a statement to CNET.
"We're thrilled he'll be part of Facebook's world-class engineering team to help design transformative technologies that will improve how people connect and interact online," the statement read.
Leading Google developer jumps ship for Facebook
In a relatively giant move in the internet sphere, Lars Rasmussen, a Google big shot who just so happened to co-found the company's wildly successful Maps plug-in, has headed for new pastures at the Facebook social club.Citing a "compelling personal pitch" from the man himself, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Rasmussen decided to resign from his post at Mountain View after six years with the search giant.
The developer told the Sydney Morning Herald in a telephone interview that the offer was too good to pass up.
"It feels to me that Facebook may be a sort of once-in-a-decade type of company," he said. "Obviously they've already changed the world and yet there seems to be so much more to be done there. And I think that it's the right place for me to be."
Rasmussen said he wouldn't have guessed Facebook to be the game-changer it has become in recent years, adding he would "have a great deal to learn there from Mark and his team."
The Sydney-based developer joined the Google team after his fledgling mapping start up, Where 2 Technologies, was acquired by the tech giant in 2004, leading him, along with his brother and others, to create the now-ubiquitous Google Maps tool.
He was also responsible for developing the ill-received Google Wave platform, which Google ceased development and support for over the summer.
Rasmussen told the Morning Herald Google had hoped for a bigger success from Wave and that he campaigned against its abandonment.
"Ultimately failing was obviously a little stressful," he admitted.
A spokesman for Facebook confirmed Rasmussen's addition to the ranks in a statement to CNET.
"We're thrilled he'll be part of Facebook's world-class engineering team to help design transformative technologies that will improve how people connect and interact online," the statement read.
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