Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced on Thursday that Prabhakar Raghavan, the executive in charge of the company's search engine and advertising products, will be leaving his position. Raghavan will return to the field of computer science and take on the role of Chief Technology Expert at Google. Nick Fox will succeed Raghavan, assuming the responsibilities of overseeing the search engine and advertising products.
Raghavan has been with Google for 12 years, leading the Gmail team to introduce features like Smart Reply and Smart Compose, and overseeing the launch of AI overviews and Circle to Search functionalities. Pichai noted that Raghavan's departure marks a new chapter in his career.
Nick Fox, who has been with Google for many years, will take over Raghavan's role. Fox has previously contributed to the launch of products like Google Fi and RCS messaging. Pichai highlighted Fox's significant role in shaping Google's AI product roadmap.
Additionally, Pichai announced that the Gemini application team, led by Sissie Hsiao, will join Google DeepMind under the leadership of Demis Hassabis. This move is expected to enhance the feedback loop, enabling Google to quickly deploy new models and consolidate its strong product momentum.
These executive changes at Google come at a time when the company is striving to position itself as a leader in the AI field, while also facing multiple antitrust lawsuits. The impact of these changes on Google's future development remains to be seen.