Google CEO Sundar Pichai will now take over as chief of the parent company
Larry Page, left, and Sergey Brin, co-founders of Google. Picture: REUTERS/JACOB SILBERBERGGoogle co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin are stepping down from their roles at the helm of parent firm Alphabet and handing the reins to Google CEO Sundar Pichai, the company says
In a letter to employees, the two wrote: “We’ve never been ones to hold on to management roles when we think there’s a better way to run the company.” Pichai, born in India, takes the helm at a time when Page and Brin, both 46, have been noticeably absent, and the company faces a torrent of controversies relating to its dominant position in the tech world.
“He’s a technologist, but he’s been a steady hand for the last few years and has proven his ability to conduct business at the highest level,” said Roger Kay, an analyst at Endpoint Technologies Associates.Pichai will have a new role as he faces up to claims from President Donald Trump of “bias” in internet search results, and the latest charge from Amnesty International that Alphabet’s business model leads to human rights violations by enabling surveillance of users.
“We build our products in a neutral way,” Pichai said in one exchange and added later: “We approach our work without any political bias.”Born to humble beginnings in the southern city of Chennai, Pichai studied engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology in Kharagpur before heading to the US to further his studies and career.
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