Big Google Executive Shakeup: Larry Page Reorganizes Team
CEO Larry Page’s week began with the resignation of Jonathan Rosenberg and is ending with a big change to the structure of Google’s management. Six executives last night were promoted to senior vice presidents and will now run their individual business units, reporting directly to Page, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Promoted are:
- Andy Rubin to senior vice president of mobile
- Vic Gundotra to senior vice president of social
- Sundar Pichai to senior vice president of Chrome
- Salar Kamangar to senior vice president of YouTube and video
- Alan Eustace to senior vice president of search
- Susan Wojcicki to senior vice president of ads
A major reorganization under Page was expected. Page reportedly wanted Google to function more as a startup by eliminating politics and bureaucracy with a streamlined leadership team, which would help speed up product innovation.
This move is aimed at empowering the new executives with more authority, and was inspired by the success of the Android and YouTube units, which function autonomously within Google. Now every effort won’t have to go through Google’s operating committee.
Seems the changes were well received. The Times says, “the leadership changes have been met with enthusiasm on Google’s Mountain View, Calif., campus, where sources say energy is running high.”
The Times also noted that “Page and fellow Google co-founder Sergey Brin, who is focused on major strategic initiatives, have offices next to each other in a recently renovated building on the campus. They are down the hall from executive chairman Eric Schmidt and surrounded by engineers working at key products for Google.”
This shakeup follows yesterday’s news of Page’s major gamble on social, telling employees that the success of social would be tied to their 2011 bonus.