Major changes have occurred in Google’s parent company, Alphabet as Larry Page and Sergey Brin announced that they would be stepping down from the post of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and President of Alphabet respectively.
Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, will now become CEO of Alphabet as a replacement for Page. This was announced in a blog post and letter by the company.
“Alphabet and Google no longer need two CEOs and a President. Going forward, Sundar will be the CEO of both Google and Alphabet,” the letter reads, as reported by Tech Crunch.
However, Page and Brin said they would still be actively involved as board members, shareholders and co-founders, but said it was a natural time to simplify the management structure of Alphabet.
Speaking about the new post, Pichai said he was excited to take on the larger leadership of the two companies and that he looked forward to greater things ahead.
“I’m excited about Alphabet and its long-term focus on tackling big challenges through technology, I’m looking forward to continuing to work with Larry and Sergey in our new roles. Thanks to them, we have a timeless mission, enduring values, and a culture of collaboration and exploration. It’s a strong foundation on which we will continue to build.” he stated.
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Commenting on Pichai, Page and Brin wrote in their letter that he possessed the qualities and character attainable to share in their vision in taking Alphabet forward.
“Sundar brings humility and a deep passion for technology to our users, partners and our employees every day. He’s worked closely with us for 15 years, through the formation of Alphabet, as CEO of Google, and a member of the Alphabet Board of Directors.
“He shares our confidence in the value of the Alphabet structure, and the ability it provides us to tackle big challenges through technology. There is no one that we have relied on more since Alphabet was founded, and no better person to lead Google and Alphabet into the future,” they added.
About Pichai: Pichai has an Msc degree in engineering from Stanford University as well as an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania. Before joining Google in 2004, he worked at McKinsey & Company where he worked with the engineering and product management team.