Google CEO Sundar Pichai will take over as the new CEO of Alphabet, as well as retain his job at Google, according to a blog post by Founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin.
“Going forward, Sundar will be the CEO of both Google and Alphabet. He will be the executive responsible and accountable for leading Google, and managing Alphabet’s investment in our portfolio of Other Bets,” the post said. “We are deeply committed to Google and Alphabet for the long term, and will remain actively involved as board members, shareholders and co-founders.”
Pichai said that the new position won’t affect the way things are done at Alphabet.
“I want to be clear that this transition won’t affect the Alphabet structure, or the work we do day to day. I will continue to be very focused on Google, and the deep work we’re doing to push the boundaries of computing and build a more helpful Google for everyone,” he said in the post. “At the same time, I’m excited about Alphabet and its long-term focus on tackling big challenges through technology.”
Page and Brin founded Google in 1998, and saw it grow from a brand new type of search engine to one of the largest tech companies in the world. Its parent company dabbles in everything from driverless cars to internet-enabled balloons to provide connectivity to far-flung, rural places around the globe, according to The Wall Street Journal.
“Today, in 2019, if the company was a person, it would be a young adult of 21, and it would be time to leave the roost,” the founders said. “While it has been a tremendous privilege to be deeply involved in the day-to-day management of the company for so long, we believe it’s time to assume the role of proud parents — offering advice and love, but not daily nagging!”