Also on Monday, Google announced that it is for thousands of patents that Nortel is auctioning off as part of its bankruptcy proceedings.

Obviously, the decision to make such a huge bid was in the works for some time, and Page must have had a hand in the move while he was transitioning into the CEO's office. And it's not as if Page had been uninvolved with the company while Schmidt was in charge.

, Page and have been the triumvirate behind the company's rise to it holds today.

The difference, however, is that while Page has been focused on innovation, Schmidt was the one making sure that Google was making money and that its stock price stayed up.

Now the weight of both concerns -- innovation and business success -- will fall more solidly on Page.