• All Things D, Wednesday, June 1, 2011 12:08 PM

Google has a clear disadvantage to Facebook in the critical realm of identity identification, and the blame lies squarely on Eric Schmidt's shoulders -- or at least according to the recently departed Google CEO. During an interview with All Things D on Tuesday, Schmidt said the social problem Google is now grappling with is largely his fault.

"He said he recently looked up memos he wrote four years ago about Google needing to address online identity," according to All Things D. "I clearly knew that I had to do something, and I failed to do it," Schmidt -- now Google's chairman -- said. "A CEO should take responsibility. I screwed up."

During Schmidt's time as CEO, Google tried to secure a search partnership with Facebook, but the social network ultimately chose to tie up with Microsoft instead. What's Facebook's greatest asset? Other than its sheer size, Schmidt said: "It's the first generally available way of disambiguating identity" online.

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