Founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin have announced that they are stepping down for Sundar Pichai to become the CEO of both Google and Alphabet.
According to the founders in a blog post, “Alphabet and Google no longer need two CEOs and a President. 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.”
They will however still remain actively involved as Board members, shareholders and co-founders. In addition, they say they plan to continue talking with Sundar regularly, especially on topics we’re passionate about!
Alphabet was created in 2015 as the holding company for many companies including Google. When it was created, Larry was the CEO while Sergey was the President. Eric Schmidt was the executive chairman of Alphabet. Sundar Pichai was made the CEO of Google. Eric Schmidt stepped down from the post of executive chairman of Alphabet’s board of directors in 2017 and ultimately stepped down from the board in May 2019.
John Hennessy, Chairman of Alphabet’s Board of Directors, said: “It’s impossible to overstate Larry and Sergey’s contributions over the past 21 years. I’m grateful that they will continue their involvement on the Board.”
Sundar Pichai said: “I’m excited about Alphabet and its long term focus on tackling big challenges through technology. I’m looking forward to continuing to work with Larry and Sergey in our new roles. Thanks to them, we have a timeless mission, enduring values, and a culture of collaboration and exploration. It’s a strong foundation on which we will continue to build.”
