Why? Well, because they want to dominate the computing world:
Google has just announced the release of a new, open sourced programming language called Go. The company says that Go is experimental, and that it combines the performance and security benefits associated with using a compiled language like C++ with the speed of a dynamic language like Python. Go’s official mascot is Gordon the gopher.
An unimaginative name for something the world doesn't need, as neatly summarized by some of the comments left in response to the post on TechCrunch:
A language that is supposed to look like Python but with C++ curly braces.
An interesting combination, a failure result.
And:
And google will start pushing this to developers as it does with its other products, resulting in use of another programming language while there are already seas of programming languages out there.
And IMO programming languages aren’t a part of IT where diversity is a positive thing. When you learn one and you want to switch platforms and write native executables, you can learn a new programming language, the same when you’re switching jobs.
But then again, is there one IT-related thing that Google can keep its hands [off] of?
No, there isn't. Google's objective is domination of the technology world; a world in which everybody uses Google products to organize and search for information, a world with no privacy, a world where user data can be manipulated and mined for profit.