Google chief Pichai takes over parent Alphabet as co-founders Page and Brin step down

Pichai has been running Google itself since 2015
Pichai has been running Google itself since 2015 Copyright REUTERS
By Alastair Jamieson
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“Alphabet and Google no longer need two CEOs and a President," Brin and Page said in a blog announcement on Tuesday.

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Alphabet CEO Larry Page announced Tuesday that he will step down and be replaced by Sundar Pichai, the Google CEO who will now run the parent company in addition to his current role.

Page had been in the role since a 2015 reshuffle in which Google reorganized to form the new parent company. His co-founder Sergey Brin was appointed President.

“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,” Page and Brin wrote in a blog.

“We’ve never been ones to hold on to management roles when we think there’s a better way to run the company. And Alphabet and Google no longer need two CEOs and a President.”

Pichai had already been running much of the business, and had previously been in charge of Android and Chrome.

The announcement came after four engineers fired by Google just before Thanksgiving said they plan to file a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board, asking the federal agency to investigate the company for what they called a sweeping illegal campaign to quash worker organizing, NBC News reported.

Google fired the engineers, who ranged in seniority from 11 years at the company to less than two, for what it said were data security violations. But the move has widened a growing rift between Google and some of its employees over the company’s handling of employee activism.

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