David Paul Morris/Bloomberg NewsMax Levchin was also a founder of PayPal.Just a year after Google bought Slide for more than $200 million, it is shutting all but one of Slide’s social networking apps and saying goodbye to two of its leaders, including its founder, Max Levchin.
Slide makes tools, virtual goods and games that people use on social networking sites. Google acquired the company as part of its push into social networking. But when it introduced Google+, its social network, in June, Slide’s apps and team members were not part of it.
Slide’s apps join other Google products, including Google Health, Google PowerMeter and Google Labs, that have recently joined the Google cemetery. On the company’s earnings call last month, Larry Page, its chief executive, said that one of his priorities was to simplify product areas and shut down underperforming products.
“Greater focus has also been another big feature for me this quarter, more wood behind fewer arrows,” Mr. Page said then. “We’ve done substantial internal work simplifying and streamlining the product line.”
Slide was also an example of a team that operated independently within Google. The company had been encouraging such teams, to foster a start-up ethos and satisfy employees who wanted more control over their projects.
Max Levchin, Slide’s founder, who was also a founder of PayPal, will leave Google, the company confirmed on Friday. He has not announced what he will do next, but he will first take paternity leave, according to a person briefed on the move who was not authorized to speak publicly.
“We wish him the best,” Google said in a statement. “Most of the team from Slide will remain at Google to work on other opportunities.” Many of them will join YouTube, the person said.
Jared Fliesler, who was the product director for Slide, will also leave. He is joining Square, the mobile payment start-up, according to another person briefed on the developments.
Google will begin to shut all but one of Slide’s products, including Slideshow, SuperPoke! Pets, Video Inbox, Pool Party and Photovine, a mobile photo-sharing app that was released to the public just last week.
“While we are incredibly grateful to our users and for all of the wonderful feedback over the years, many of these products are no longer as active or haven’t caught on as we originally hoped,” Slide said in a blog post.
One Slide app’s life will be saved: Prizes.org. It is for crowdsourcing tasks, like writing a wedding speech or designing a logo, in exchange for money. Unlike other Slide apps, is operated out of Google’s China office.
Slide’s shutdown and Mr. Levchin’s and Mr. Fliesler’s departures were first reported by AllThingsD, an industry blog.
