Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin have decided the company they built and saw to unprecedented growth is now ready to be steered by an anointed executive named Sundar Pichai. The duo said they would relinquish leadership duties and leave the day-to-day operations of the search engine giant to Pichai.
"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," the co-founders said in a joint press release.
The statement also made clear there was no other person qualified to take on the job than Pichai.
Following the announcement, which media reports described as the end of an era in the Silicon Valley giant, Pichai will take over as CEO of both Google and Alphabet. Page and Brin will hand over their respective roles as chief executive and CEO.
"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," the statement from the two executives said.
Both have indicated that Pichai will take full charge of Google and Alphabet's daily operations, but they will continue having talks to offer advice and love to Pichai.
The 47-year-old Pichai became a Googler in 2004, according to BBC. He was born in India but came to the United States to pursue an engineering degree. Pichai attended Stanford University and the University of Pennsylvania.
In a statement, Pichai has expressed appreciation for the trust and opportunity given to him, and indicated he is excited to take on the new role.
"The founders have given all of us an incredible chance to have an impact on the world ... Thanks to them, we have a timeless mission, enduring values, and a culture of collaboration and exploration that makes it exciting to come to work every day," Pichai was reported as saying.
Pichai will be running a company that Page and Brin had set up in 1998 while taking up graduate studies at Stanford. When they initially met, the two hit it off despite both having strong personalities and went on to make Google a dominant tech brand around the world, WIRED reported.
However, Page and Brin getting out of the picture completely would be the last thing expected. They will keep board seats on the company and have 51% of voting rights, which observers said the cofounders will certainly in things and discussions that matter to them.
In other words, Pichai will be the face of Google and Alphabet going forward, but Page and Brin will remain a presence that will overcast the CEO's rule.
