Google Executive Chairman Schmidt attends the eG8 forum in Paris
Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt attends the eG8 forum in Paris May 24, 2011. The eG8 forum gathers "leaders of the Internet" to consider and discuss the future of the Internet and society. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer

According to Google executive chairman and ex-CEO Eric Schmidt, Microsoft doesn’t figure among the top line technology companies that drive innovation in the consumer segment.

Speaking at the D9 conference late on Tuesday, Schmidt said Google, Apple, Amazon, and Facebook are strong consumer brands and that the aggregate growth of the 'Gang of Four' is remarkable. He said Twitter or Paypal might vie for the fifth and sixth spots in this list. However, Microsoft doesn’t find a place there.

Google, Apple, Amazon, and Facebook are all exploiting platforms well. We've never had four companies growing so much in aggregate. You can debate who's 5th and 6th -- PayPal, Twitter, Schmidt said, according to Business Insider.

When asked why he left out Microsoft, he said: ... it's not driving anything in consumers. It's done a good job locking itself into corporations.

When prodded further he said Microsoft's Xbox cannot also be credited with being part of the consumer revolution. ... It's not a platform at the computational platform, it's gaming. Majority of Microsoft's profits is still Office and Windows, he said.

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