Larry Page and Sergey Brin, the former Stanford University students who founded Google in a Silicon Valley garage, said Tuesday they are stepping aside as leaders of the internet behemoth they started two decades ago. Page and Brin are handing the reins to Sundar Pichai, who will take over as CEO of Google’s parent company Alphabet, in addition to maintaining his current responsibilities as chief executive of the search giant.
The announcement comes four years after Google restructured itself under an umbrella called Alphabet. As part of the move, Google’s internet businesses, including its search engine and maps app, were separated from more experimental projects like driverless cars. Pichai became CEO of Google, and Page and Brin controlled Alphabet.
Now Pichai, an Indian immigrant who joined the company in 2004, is in charge of it all.
“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,” Page and Brin said in a joint statement. The cofounders said they would stay active as board members.
“I’m excited about Alphabet and its long term focus on tackling big challenges through technology,” Pichai said in a statement. “I’m looking forward to continuing to work with Larry and Sergey in our new roles.”
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