Slide apps dissolved by Google; former leader moves on
Google CEO Larry Page is shaking up his company once again and stripping properties that might not be so useful anymore.
Today, Slide, a social media and apps company that the Goog acquired just one year ago, is being dissolved. AllThingsD reports that Paypal co-founder and Slide's "well-regarded leader" Max Levchin is also jumping ship from Google.
That isn't to say in any way that Levchin was fired, but a Google rep told AllThingsD that Max left Slide and Google "to pursue other opportunities," while most of the team from Slide will remain at Google" to work on other projects -- primarily YouTube.
On Slide's official blog, members of the team gave a few hints as to what users of Slide's apps can do with their content once Slide is kaput:
For example, on Slide.com, we will enable users to either download their photos or export them to a Picasa account. We are working to release this export feature over the coming weeks and, once added, users will have several months to take advantage of transferring their photos.
Some of the more familiar apps from Slide include SuperPoke! Pets, Photovine, Video Inbox and Pool Party. However, CNET reports that at least one service will remain available: Prizes.org, which enables people to create contests to solve their own work problems, and those who solve and win the contests get money. Win, win!
As for why Levchin really left Google? Well, that's anyone's guess at this point. However, most signs and reports point towards the fact that despite his social media background, Levchin didn't actually get to put much of that expertise to use. And with the rapid success of Google+ in the last two months since it first debuted, Levchin likely felt left out and decided to move on to a company where his background might matter more.
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