INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Sundar Pichai has increased efforts to make AI software technology available globallySan Francisco: Google CEO Sundar Pichai will replace
Larry Page as CEO of parent Alphabet Inc, extending a long retreat from public roles and active management by Mr Page and Sergey Brin at the
company they co-founded 21 years ago."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!" Mr Page
and Mr Brin wrote in a blog post on Tuesday.Mr Page, Mr Brin and Mr Pichai have all shared an emphasis on developing artificial intelligence
software to make web searching and other tasks faster, while long-time product leader Mr Pichai has increased efforts to make such
technology available globally.But the vision faces unprecedented scrutiny, with governments on five continents demanding better safeguards,
less anticompetitive conduct and more taxes from the world's largest online advertising company
Thousands of employees have protested, and some have even resigned, over ongoing uncertainty over why the "don't be evil" dogma famous to
Google - and once embraced by Mr Page and Mr Brin - appears to be cracking.Streamlining management could help Alphabet better respond to the
challenges and focus on growing profits, investors said."This signals a shift away from the more fringy efforts - like Project Loon - and
more towards a company focused on technology that makes money," said Kim Caughey Forrest, chief investment officer at Bokeh Capital
Partners, referring to Alphabet's internet-by-balloons business.Alphabet, which owns more than a dozen companies including self-driving car
technology business Waymo and health care software company Verily, emerged in 2015 as part of a restructuring of Google.Mr Page, who is
known for having big expectations and strong thoughts on technological details, had wanted to focus on developing those newer businesses,
which collectively lose money
He left Alphabet's biggest and most profitable unit, Google, to the similarly soft-spoken Mr Pichai, who heavily delegates to direct reports
to manage various product lines
Mr Brin had stayed on as Alphabet's president, spending some time on robotics and other research projects.But Mr Page and Mr Brin, once
regular sights at public events and at Google headquarters, are now seen much less often
The pair of 46-year-olds' retreat into the background, particularly for Mr Page as CEO, had drawn criticism in the last two years from
employees and US lawmakers that demanded answers from him rather than Mr Pichai about controversial company projects such as an experimental
search app for Chinese users.Meanwhile, Mr Page's oversight job has largely fallen to Alphabet chief financial officer Ruth Porat for the
startup businesses and Alphabet chief legal officer David Drummond for the company's two big investment funds.Mr Page and Mr Brin will
remain directors, but will cede their CEO and president titles, respectively, immediately, Alphabet said
The president role will not be filled, the company said, describing the changes as long discussed.Mr Page's voice has been impaired for
years because of a chronic condition, but his health did not play a role in the decision to step aside, Alphabet said."With Alphabet now
well-established, and Google and the Other Bets operating effectively as independent companies, it's the natural time to simplify our
management structure," the co-founders said
"We are deeply committed to Google and Alphabet for the long term."While publicly stepping back, the co-founders still control more than 51
As of April, Mr Page held 26.1 per cent of Alphabet's total voting power, Mr Brin 25.25 per cent and Mr Pichai less than 1 per cent.Alphabet
shares rose 0.64 per cent following the after-hours announcement to $1,303.The company had used the separation between Mr Page's and Mr
Pichai's roles to defend its limited financial disclosures about YouTube and other businesses owned by Google when the practice was
questioned by US securities regulators in 2017
It contended that publicly reported financial results were in line with what Mr Page reviewed as Alphabet CEO
Regulators did not take further action, but the company's stance has frustratedinvestors looking to deeply evaluate the company's
performance.Alphabet declined to comment on whether public financial reporting would change with Mr Pichai assuming both CEO positions.Mr
Pichai, 47, who has spent 15 years at Google, rose to prominence while leading development of Google's Chrome browser
He later led product development and engineering across all of Google's services for a year before gaining the CEO title and adding with it
oversight of Google's advertising and cloud computing business.Mr Page and Mr Brin are active in other ventures
Mr Page's funding kickstarted a company attempting to develop flying cars, and Mr Brin at a conference last year discussed a budding
interest in cryptocurrency.
