There was a time, for example, when Google allowed German users to blur their homes out on Google Street View.

FORBES: Germany Is Freaking Out About Facebook's Facial Recognition Feature (Again)

Forbes recently put Thrun, a German-born Google vice president and part-time computer science professor at Stanford, on the cover of the magazine.

FORBES: Free Online Education Site Announces Big Expansion

In the last year, MOOCs have been growing fast, with several start-ups, including Udacity, founded by Sebastian Thrun, a German-born Google vice president and part-time Stanford computer science professor, edX, a collaboration between Harvard and M.

FORBES: Free Online College Courses Take Big Step Forward