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Business News/ Companies / Google’s Sundar Pichai to oversee major products, services
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Google’s Sundar Pichai to oversee major products, services

The move aims to free up CEO Larry Page to focus on longer-term strategy

Sundar Pichai has become a trusted leader inside Google after taking over the reins of Android, the world’s most popular smartphone operating system, in early 2013. Photo: APPremium
Sundar Pichai has become a trusted leader inside Google after taking over the reins of Android, the world’s most popular smartphone operating system, in early 2013. Photo: AP

San Francisco: Google Inc. chief executive officer Larry Page is giving top lieutenant Sundar Pichai most of the product leadership at the company, a person familiar with the matter said, a move that frees up Page to focus on longer-term strategy.

Six executives who oversee areas such as search and ad products will now report to Pichai instead of to Page, according to the person, who asked not to be identified because the matter is private. Pichai, a longtime Google executive, heads up mobile-operating software Android, browser and operating system Chrome, and a mobile-apps business.

The change is one of the more significant executive shifts since Page, 41, became CEO in April 2011. Google is coming under pressure from some investors to show it’s making progress in driving growth, with the company missing profit and revenue estimates during the third quarter as the search provider stepped up spending to reignite slowing advertising sales growth.

Pichai, 42, has become a trusted leader inside the Mountain View, California-based Web company after taking over the reins of Android, the world’s most popular smartphone operating system, in early 2013. The move also follows the exit of chief business officer Nikesh Arora, who left Google last month to join SoftBank Corp.

A Google representative declined to comment on Friday. Technology blog Re/Code reported on the changes earlier on Friday.

Search, commerce

Among the executives who will now report to Pichai are Alan Eustace, who oversees an area called Knowledge that includes key areas of engineering; Amit Singhal, who heads up search; Sridhar Ramaswamy, who leads ads and commerce; and Urs Holzle, who oversees technical infrastructure, according to the person. Dave Besbris, who leads social, and Jen Fitzpatrick, who oversees maps, will also report to Pichai, the person said.

Google X, the division that’s developing Glass and self- driving cars, online video site YouTube, digital-thermostat maker Nest Labs, corporate development, finance, business and legal will continue to report to Page, the person said.

The shuffle is the most notable since 2011, shortly after Page took over as CEO. At the time, Page promoted seven managers to senior positions in order to bring more accountability and efficiency to Google’s leadership. Pichai was part of the group of top executives and he was given leadership over Chrome.

Pichai, who has a master’s degree in engineering from Stanford University, began his career at Google in 2004 after a stint as a consultant at McKinsey & Co. His early work included being on a small team that developed Google’s search toolbar. Bloomberg

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Published: 25 Oct 2014, 11:00 AM IST
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