Google has undergone a massive restructuring, including the appointment of a new CEO and the announcement of a new parent company.
The announcement was made by former CEO Larry Page, who will now be running a new holding company called Alphabet Inc. A “slimmed down” version of Google will operate under Alphabet, and will be headed by new CEO Sundar Pichai. Google will continue to house the operation of the company’s main internet products.
All other ventures that fall far outside the realm of the company’s internet offerings will be contained in Alphabet.
Alphabet’s other ventures include Wing, a drone delivery system, Calico, a company focused on anti-aging, and others that are far removed from what Google’s internet products are focused on.
Page goes on to say the restructuring will allow for a renewed focus on Google, with Sundar Pichai at the helm as new CEO. Page expresses that Pichai cares deeply about innovation, and a number of new products are already in the works for Google.
For the time being, there will be no immediate changes to either Google search or AdWords. Search marketers have little to worry about as a result of today’s announcement, at least for now.
Going forward, Page will be removed from day-to-day Google operations, now running Alphabet with Sergey Brin as President. The two are said to be excited about focusing on “more ambitious” things, but there are no plans to turn Alphabet itself into a large consumer brand.
Rather, the goal is for Alphabet companies to develop their own brands. With that said, Google will continue to operate as its own brand as an extension of Alphabet.
The reaction thus far has been a mixture of shock and positivity. Googlers that have weighed in on the announcement express that Pichai will be a great CEO for moving Google forward:
I love @sundarpichai as Google's new CEO. He looks for the best way forward, yet has old-school, trying-to-do-the-right-thing Google DNA.
— Matt Cutts (@mattcutts) August 10, 2015
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