Co–Founders Step Aside, Google CEO Sundar Pichai to Lead Alphabet

Larry Page and Sergey Brin announced that Sundar Pichai will replace Larry Page as CEO of Alphabet

Sergey Brin and Larry Page were Stanford University students who founded the top search engine, Google in a Silicon Valley garage, have handed the reigns to someone they trust. The duo is stepping aside as leaders and trusting Sundar Pichai to take on the impressive responsibility of the CEO of Alphabet in addition to retaining his post as the CEO of Google.

 

Brin and Page announced the change about four years after Google was restructured under an umbrella known as Alphabet. In that move, Google’s internet business (such as maps app and search engine) were separated from experimental projects (such as driverless cars). At that time, Sundar Pichai was handed over the reins of the internet business while Brin and Page controlled Alphabet.

Sundar Pichai’s new role is a big achievement because he was an Indian immigrant who joined the company in 2004. Less than two decades later, he will rule it all. However, Brin and Page will still be active board members.

 

In a joint statement, the co-founders said: “With Alphabet now well-established, and Google and the Other Bets operating effectively as independent companies, it’s the natural time to simplify our management structure.”

Sundar Pichai also released a statement regarding this new development. He stated “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.” He also tweeted that Alphabet had a “timeless mission.” Here’s the tweet.

I’m excited about Alphabet’s long term focus on tackling big challenges through technology. Thanks to Larry & Sergey, we have a timeless mission, enduring values and a culture of collaboration & exploration – a strong foundation we’ll continue to build on https://t.co/tSVsaj4FsR

— Sundar Pichai (@sundarpichai) December 4, 2019

 

Brin, Page or Pichai were not available for interviews at the time of writing this article, but they will likely talk about the development soon.

The handing over of the reigns to Sundar Pichai might be a shock for some but not for people who have followed Page and Brin’s careers. The duo had rarely made public appearances since 2015 when the restructuring happened. They have barely shown their faces to the public during product launches or investor calls, which was a clear indicator that they are slowly pulling back.

 

Before 2015, Brin was the future-loving face of the company and was involved in experimental efforts while Page was the overall executive face and worked as the acting CEO of Google. It will be interesting to see how Sundar Pichai fulfils his new responsibilities at a time when the company is facing several controversies. It is likely that his focus will be on making services more helpful and personalised while also juggling artificial intelligence technology.