...but this is kind of a Google thing. Page was the same (and somehow still didn't know how to code Backrub despite having a BSc and MSc in comp sci and the link idea came from Robin Li...made quite a career out of claiming the genius of other people as your own).
(Not saying this matches my personal worldview, but just analyzing the commentary)
This is true of all groups, though, so doesn't give us any information.
I mean, he still needed to get a job
(1). Larry not knowing how to code Backrub (sounds like you don't just mean that at first you don't know how to code something that has never been done before).
(2) Larry claiming other's ideas as his, particularly "the link idea".
Scott Hassan (a Stanford research assistant) coded Backrub. Page took a run at it but it didn't work. And it had actually been done several times before (again, it just sounds like you have no idea you are just assuming these guys were geniuses...several mining applications already existed, the largest came from DEC).
What were the "several times" backrub had been implemented before?
A "mining application" is a very general concept, and does not imply a specific algorithm.
I was not assuming but requesting information; and not "again" but once.
FWIW I'm intrigued by the school of thought that Google's success was largely due to just giving people what they want. Instead of crowded portals, just search, fast search, and search that's relevant. When I tested it at the time, I found competing search pretty similar for relevance. But google was faster.
Of course, adwords has similarities (and copied from overture/goto), but don't masquerade as search results (though becoming less distinguishable over time...).