Andre Yoskowitz
11 Oct 2014 18:40
New Google head of social media Dave Besbris has denounced rumors that Google+ could be getting downsized in light of the abrupt departure of former boss Vic Gundotra.
"We're the largest we've ever been," Besbris said. "We're actually very happy with the progress of Google+, [Larry Page] said this at the time that Vic transitioned that he's going to continue working on building this stuff, that he's very happy with it. The company is behind it."
The interview is longer and has some nice tidbits, but mainly, Besbris has made it clear that there are "pre-conceived notions" about the social network that Google is fighting to remove. In the past, Google forced users to sign up for Google+ just to be able to access more important services (like Gmail, Drive, etc) but now "I only want people to use the software when they want to use the software," added Besbris.
Google+ remains a requirement for commenting on YouTube videos, but you no longer need to have your real name attached to the account. Using Hangouts also does not require Google+ anymore.
Source:
Ars