BackAlphabet moves 2 top Google Fiber executives off project
Alphabet 's Access division has removed two prominent executives from its ranks, the latest sign of the business pulling back from ambitious, expensive goals
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San Francisco: Alphabet Inc.’s Access division, which houses its broadband service Google Fiber, has removed two prominent executives from its ranks, the latest sign of the business pulling back from ambitious, expensive goals.
Milo Medin, a vice president at Access, and Dennis Kish, a wireless infrastructure veteran who was president of Google Fiber, are leaving the division but staying at the Alphabet holding company. Gregory McCray, who was appointed head of Access in February, told staff about the management changes at a Thursday meeting. An Access spokesman confirmed the changes, but declined to comment further.
Kish joined Google Fiber in 2014 from Qualcomm Inc. and worked closely with fellow transplant Craig Barratt, who previously led the Access group. Barratt suddenly exited in October, when Alphabet also announced it was halting Google Fiber expansions in eight major urban markets and laying off around 10% of its staff.
The Access division has continued to shrink. About 600 employees are currently being reassigned to the Google internet business and other Alphabet divisions, according to sources familiar with the plans.
A Google veteran since 2010, Medin was a chief advocate for the company’s high-speed Fiber service in Washington. He has also been leading some of Alphabet’s more experimental efforts to tap wireless spectrum for better internet delivery. It’s unclear if that effort will move to another part of Alphabet.
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On Thursday, Medin was named as a member of the Federal Communications Commission’s new Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee.
Medin and Kish didn’t respond to emailed requests for comment.
Under Barratt, Alphabet pushed to bring Fiber to more than a dozen US cities. It hit some hurdles, including increased competition and legal challenges from telecommunications firms. Google Fiber also grew into one of the costliest efforts for the company, outside of the dominant Google internet business.
After halting its expansion, some analysts praised Alphabet for implementing cost-cutting measures. Last month, Google Fiber cancelled some planned installations in Kansas City, its first market. Bloomberg
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