In his first earnings call as CEO of Google, the internet search phenomenon he co-founded 15 years ago, Larry Page did his best impression of the company’s iconic home page.

Very few words, quickly rendered.

“We’ve really hit the ground running,” Page said in comments that lasted 90 seconds. “I’m very excited about Google and our momentum, and I’m very optimistic about our future.”

Page said he is now running Google’s day-to-day operations and praised outgoing CEO Eric Schmidt, who is now executive chairman with a mandate to focus on government relations and corporate outreach.

Wall Street...