keywords: smith stewart googlers google stewarts
text: Google's New Approach Followed the Same Old Path When Google first burst on the stock market scene, the guys running the place sounded like political newcomers attaining public office for the first time and vowing to clean up the place: Mr. Smith Goes to Wall Street, as it were. In Frank Capra's classic film "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," you'll recall, political naif Jimmy Stewart gets appointed a U.S. senator, goes to Washington and triumphs over entrenched cynicism. In the Wall Street version, head Googlers Sergey Brin and Larry Page sounded like Silicon Valley Stewarts. Instead of modeling themselves on the greed-is-good crowd, they produced stock-offering documents that paid homage to Warren Buffett, one of Wall Street's straightest shooters (and a board member of The Washington Post Co.).