Google to Replace Executive in Charge of Search and Advertising

On Thursday, Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, announced in a memo to employees that Prabakar Raghavan, the Senior Vice President overseeing Search, Ads, and other key business areas, will be appointed as the Chief Technology Officer.

According to the memo, after leading multiple teams at Google for twelve years, Raghavan has decided to take a significant step in his career by returning to the field of computer science as Google's Chief Technology Officer. In this role, he will work closely with Sundar Pichai and other senior executives to provide technical direction and leadership, fostering a culture of technological excellence within the company.

Since 2018, Raghavan has been in charge of Google's Advertising and Business operations, and in 2020 he was promoted to lead the Search and Assistant divisions. Nick Fox, who was previously part of Raghavan's leadership team, will succeed him and oversee Google's Search, Advertising, Maps, and Business departments. According to Pichai, Fox has played a role in launching products such as Google Fi and RCS Messaging.

Additionally, Google is reorganizing other teams. The division responsible for the Gemini app, led by Xixi Xiao, will be merged into Google DeepMind under the leadership of CEO Demis Hassabis. The Google Assistant team will also become part of the Google Platform and Devices team.

This reorganization comes at a pivotal time for Google's growth, as the company continues to strive to establish its leadership in the field of artificial intelligence. At the same time, Google faces the risk of the U.S. government perceiving its search business as a monopoly and contemplating its division.