Sergey Brin

Google's novel stock split will create a new class of shares with no voting rights. Confused? Google CEO Larry Page thought you might be, so he offered an explanatory note. Here's our read-between-the-lines translation of what he was really saying.

Google has faced heavy criticism since it announced its first-ever stock split, which creates a new class of nonvoting shares. Don't believe the hype. If you were happy owning Google stock before, you should be just as pleased now. Here's why:

Google CEO Larry Page, Chairman Eric Schmidt and co-founder Sergey Brin will gain greater influence over the company thanks to an unusual stock-split maneuver that will create a whole new class of Google shares with no voting rights.

On a split-adjusted basis, Apple went public at $2.75 a share 31 years ago; the stock closed at $378.25 yesterday. Investors lucky enough to hold for the entire period have enjoyed a 17% annualized return. Find a founder capable of delivering on a similar scale and you'll have a much easier time funding your retirement.

Google's shares have fallen 15% in the last three months while the S&P 500 has traded flat. This share price decline seems odd when contrasted with the spectacular success Google has been experiencing with its Android mobile OS. But there are good reasons Wall Street isn't impressed.

As Larry Page takes the reins from CEO Eric Schmidt, the questions for investors are: Will Facebook keep gaining on Google? Or will Page steer it back to its original counter-corporate spirit, embracing risk over short-term profits? Or have the risk-takers gone soft?

The search giant's co-founder will replace CEO Eric Schmidt, who replaced Page in 2001. Back then, Google's investors believed the company needed a more mature leader. Now, says Schmidt: "I believe Larry is ready." Oh yeah: Google reported blowout earnings.

Facebook expects its investor base will exceed 500 this year, a level at which the SEC will require it to disclose its financial results to the public. That may be enough to push the social networking giant into an IPO in 2012 -- but founder Mark Zuckerberg could opt to release that data and keep Facebook private anyway.

India's Mukesh Ambani may not be a household name like billionaires Bill Gates or Warren Buffett, but here's a look at why it could be just a matter of time before the Indian mogul climbs to the top of the world's richest list.

The Google guys Larry Page and Sergey Brin are set to get the Hollywood treatment with a proposed feature film based on the company's rise from dorm room project to $120 billion Web colossus. The news comes as Facebook awaits the fall release of a film about its origins.