Advocacy: Outside of its product offerings, Google must lobby the government on , as the company is now taking a stance that is . Separately, Google has to make friends with the entertainment industry. Broadcasters have to their Web sites, fearing encroachment on their ad space. There are also persistent rumor that Google is planning a , the success of which will likely depend in part on Google's relationships with music labels. Google has become so large that it must make nice with outside forces.

Here's the way I see it: Larry Page is going to bring a renewed focus on improving Google products -- that is, dealing with the first three challenges listed above. Note how Schmidt, in , said the management change would "speed up decision making." Nimbler leadership is what the company needs to overhaul search, build a social network and figure out the best strategy for operating systems.

As for advocacy, that's all Schmidt. His blog post says he'll be focusing on "deals, partnerships, customers and broader business relationships, government outreach and technology thought leadership." In other words, his only job now is to make Google look nice to the outside world. (In that case, he might want some practice at avoiding about .)

Only time will tell if Page is ready for the job, but a shake-up seems like the right call. Google now employs 24,000 people, and having a visionary at the top seems like a good way to tackle some very big challenges ahead.