Page 24 - ARUBA TODAY

A24 TECHNOLOGY
Friday 6 december 2019
Google co-founders step aside as antitrust scrutiny heats up

By RACHEL LERMAN and key moneymaker. But
AP Technology Writer it's also made up of what
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — are known as "other bets,"
Google's co-founders are or longshot projects. That
relinquishing their execu- includes drone company
tive positions just as state Wing and self-driving car
and federal regulators, not firm Waymo.
to mention the Department In its early days, Google fo-
of Justice and Congress, cused on only one business
are taking a keen interest in — cataloging the grow-
the possible abuse of its pri- ing internet. Page and Brin
vacy practices and market started Google soon after
power. they met as Stanford Uni-
But their long foreshad- versity graduate students in
owed successor, Sun- 1995.
dar Pichai, has been well The company has now be-
prepped to serve as the come one of the most in-
public face of the com- fluential companies in the
pany. world. Google dominates
Larry Page and Sergey online search and digital
Brin are stepping down advertising and makes the
as CEO and president, re- world's most widely used
spectively, of Google par- operating system for smart-
ent company Alphabet. phones, Android.
The move caps more than It's hard to make it through
two decades during which a whole day without using
the pair have shepherded one of Google's services —
the one-time startup they ranging from online tools
founded in a Silicon Valley to email, cloud computing
garage. Pichai, who has systems, phones and smart
been Google's CEO since speaker hardware.
2015, will now also head up As Google grew, it faced
Alphabet. The company more pressure from privacy
isn't filling Brin's position as advocates over its collec-
president. tion and use of personal
Google is facing increas- information to target ad-
ing criticism and investiga- vertising.
tions from authorities in the In this Sept. 2, 2008, file photo Google co-founders Sergey Brin, left, and Larry Page talk about It also has faced allega-
U.S. and Europe about its the new Google Browser, "Chrome," during a news conference at Google Inc. headquarters in tions that it abuses its
privacy practices and the Mountain View, Calif. dominance in search and
nature of its many-legged Associated Press online advertising to push
business. That will now fall out rivals. The company is
to Pichai to wrangle and refusing to send Page or employees, and Page Pichai assured employees the subject of numerous
push through, though Page Pichai to a hearing on didn't attend this summer's in an internal email that inquiries from Congress,
might not be totally off the Russian manipulation of Alphabet shareholders his new job wouldn't mean the Department of Justice,
hook. internet services to sway meeting even though he he was taking a step back U.S. state attorneys general
Democratic presidential U.S. elections. Congressio- was still in the CEO role. from Google. and European authorities.
candidate Elizabeth War- nal officials left an empty Meanwhile, Alphabet has "I will continue to be very Page and Brin, in announc-
ren, a senator from Mas- chair for Page at the wit- been positioning Pichai as focused on Google and ing the news Tuesday, said
sachusetts, tweeted a ness table; top executives the de facto leader, mak- the deep work we're do- the company has "evolved
message aimed at Page from Facebook and Twitter, ing him the top execu- ing to push the boundar- and matured" in the two
on Wednesday: "Quick re- meanwhile, turned up to tive voice at shareholders ies of computing and build decades since its found-
minder: We do still expect testify. Offended lawmak- meetings and on earnings a more helpful Google for ing. Both promised to stay
you to testify before Con- ers derided Google as "ar- call. It was Pichai who tes- everyone," he wrote. active as board members
gress. And changing your rogant." tified before Congress last Pichai, a 47-year-old im- and shareholders.
title while staying on the Although longtime tech December, defending the migrant from India, has Google's longest serving
board and retaining ef- analyst Tim Bajarin of Cre- company against claims worked at the company CEO is still Eric Schmidt, the
fective control of it will not ative Strategies said he from Republicans that the for 15 years, serving as a former executive brought
exempt you from account- doesn't believe Brin and search service is biased leader in projects to build into the role in 2001 as a so-
ability." Page are leaving "because against conservatives. Google's Chrome browser called "adult supervisor" for
Page and Brin still hold a the fire is getting hotter," he Recently, Pichai changed and overseeing Android. Brin and Page.
majority of voting shares of said Pichai's role at Google the format of the employ- Pichai, who has an en- Schmidt stepped into the
Alphabet. Each became has been preparing him for ee question-and-answer gineering background, position as the company's
$1 billion richer Wednes- the increased government sessions from a weekly oc- took over as the head of board worried about the
day as Alphabet stock in- scrutiny. currence to a monthly one. Google's products before relative inexperience of
creased more than 2%. Brin and Page, both 46, The executive shakeup will being promoted to CEO Brin and Page to manage
According to Forbes mag- have noticeably backed likely have little impact on when Alphabet was creat- the growing company. He
azine, they already had a out of the spotlight already. the business, analysts from ed in 2015. He is known as a remained CEO until 2011,
net worth of more than $50 Both stopped making ap- Cowen and Co. wrote in a soft-spoken and respected when Page once again
billion apiece. pearances earlier this year note Tuesday. They called manager. became chief executive.
Last year, Google raised at the regular question- Pichai's Alphabet appoint- Alphabet still boasts Schmidt stayed on the
hackles in Congress by and-answer sessions with ment a "formality." Google as its central fixture board until this year.q