Ruth Porat, who has been the chief financial officer of Alphabet, Google’s parent company, since 2015, announced in July that she will step down from her role and take a new position as president and chief investment officer. Porat, who was previously the CFO of Morgan Stanley, said she wanted to take on a different set of challenges and leverage her financial expertise to help Alphabet grow its portfolio of investments.
Porat will oversee Alphabet’s various investment arms, such as CapitalG, GV, Gradient Ventures and Google.org, as well as its moonshot projects under X. She will also be engaged with policymakers to “recognize the importance of technology” and on issues including employment, economic competitiveness and infrastructure expansion, the company said.
Porat has been credited with bringing more financial discipline and transparency to Alphabet, which has been investing heavily in areas such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence and hardware. She has also been instrumental in implementing a stock buyback program and increasing shareholder returns.
Wojcicki steps back from YouTube after nine years
Susan Wojcicki, one of the most prominent women in Silicon Valley and the CEO of YouTube since 2014, announced in February that she was stepping back from her role after nine years at the helm of the Google-owned platform that grew to be the world’s most popular video service. Wojcicki, who had been at Google for more than 25 years, after famously lending her garage to Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page to use as their first office, said she wanted to “start a new chapter” and pursue other interests.
Wojcicki oversaw YouTube’s rapid growth in users, revenue and content, as well as its expansion into new areas such as music, gaming, live streaming and subscription services. She also faced several challenges and controversies, such as dealing with misinformation, hate speech, child safety and creator relations. Wojcicki said she will remain in an advisory role at Google and will continue to support YouTube’s new leadership team.
Wojcicki wasn’t the only executive to leave YouTube. Robert Kyncl, the chief business officer for 12 years, stepped away to become CEO of Warner Music Group at the beginning of the year.
Hölzle shifts from management to individual contributor
Urs Hölzle, who has long overseen Google’s technical infrastructure and was its eighth employee, said he would be stepping back from management after 24 years of leading technical teams. Hölzle will be classified as an “individual contributor,” which means he will be working independently and no longer managing employees. He said he wanted to focus on his passion for technology and innovation.
Hölzle was responsible for building and maintaining Google’s massive network of data centers, servers and software that power its search engine, cloud services and other products. He also helped shape Google’s culture of engineering excellence and innovation. He said he will continue to work on projects that are important for Google’s future, such as quantum computing and sustainability.
Other changes in Google’s old guard
The leadership shuffle at Google is not limited to these three executives. Several other key members of Google’s old guard have changed roles or left the company in recent months. Some say they have left their roles for a new challenge and others have left to seek opportunities in artificial intelligence.
- In March, CapitalG founder and longtime Google employee David Lawee stepped down from his role after 17 years at Alphabet, saying he wanted to explore new areas of interest and spend more time with his family.
- In June, Jeff Dean, one of Google’s most respected engineers and the head of its AI division, announced that he was taking a leave of absence for personal reasons. He was replaced by Marian Croak, a veteran AT&T executive who joined Google in 2014.
- In July, Prabhakar Raghavan, who had been leading Google’s search and assistant products since 2018, was promoted to senior vice president of engineering and product management. He replaced Ben Gomes, who moved to a new role focused on education initiatives.
- In August, Caesar Sengupta, who had been leading Google’s efforts to expand its presence in emerging markets such as India and Indonesia through products such as Google Pay and Android Go, left the company after 15 years. He said he wanted to start his own venture.
What does this mean for Google’s future?
The changes in Google’s leadership reflect its evolution from a search engine company to a diversified technology giant that faces competitive, regulatory and investor pressure. The company is also undergoing a cultural shift as it deals with internal tensions over issues such as diversity, ethics and employee activism.
The new leaders will have to navigate these challenges while maintaining Google’s core values of innovation, excellence and user focus. They will also have to balance the needs of its various businesses, such as advertising, cloud computing, hardware and YouTube, as well as its long-term bets on areas such as artificial intelligence, health care and self-driving cars.
Google has a history of grooming and promoting talent from within, as well as attracting top talent from outside. The company has also been known for its willingness to experiment and change course when needed. The leadership shuffle may signal a new direction for Google, but it also shows its commitment to adapt and grow in a changing world.
