Google replaced Search chief Raghavan with Nick Fox amid the restructuring. The move comes after criticism of ad-driven decisions impacting search quality.
Google has announced that Prabhakar Raghavan, the executive who oversees the company’s search engine and advertising products, will step down from his current role.
The news came in a memo sent to employees by CEO Sundar Pichai on Thursday.
Nick Fox will lead search and ads
Raghavan’s responsibilities will be taken over by Nick Fox, a long-time Google executive with experience in various departments.
Fox will now lead the Knowledge and Information team, which includes Google’s Search, Ads, Live and Commerce products.
Pichai expressed confidence in Fox’s ability to lead these important divisions, saying:
Raghavan’s new role
Raghavan will shift to the newly created post of Chief Technologist.
He will work closely with Pichai and other Google leaders in this role to provide technical direction.
Pichai praised Raghavan’s contribution, saying:
“Prabhakar’s leadership journey at Google has been remarkable, spanning research, vertical, advertising and knowledge and information. He led the Gmail team in launching Smart Reply and Smart Compose as early examples of using AI to improve products and led Gmail and Drive to reach 1 billion users.
previous criticisms
This latest announcement from Google comes in the wake of earlier criticisms leveled at the company’s search division.
In April, an opinion article by Ed Zitron highlighted concerns about the direction of Google Search under Raghavan’s leadership.
The article cited industry analysts who claimed that decisions were made that prioritized revenue over search quality due to Raghavan’s background in advertising rather than search technology.
Critics alleged that under Raghavan’s tenure, Google had rolled back key quality improvements to boost engagement metrics and advertising revenues.
Reference was made to an internal email from 2019. When Raghavan was head of ads, he described a “code yellow” emergency response to declining search revenue. This reportedly resulted in previously downranked sites using spam tactics.
Google has denied many of these claims, saying that its advertising systems do not influence organic search results.
More Restructuring
As part of Google’s restructuring:
The Gemini Apps team, led by Sissi Hsiao, will join Google DeepMind under CEO Demis Hassabis.
Google Assistant teams focused on devices and home experiences will move to the Platforms and Devices division.
Google Looking Ahead
Fox’s acquisition from Raghavan could shake up the situation at Google.
We may see faster AI rollouts and more frequent updates in search and ads. Fox may reconsider original search quality while addressing recent criticisms.
It is important to note that these potential changes are estimates based on the limited information available.
As Fox takes on his new role, real changes in leadership style and priorities will become apparent.
Fox may emphasize rapid adoption of new technology to fend off competitors, especially in AI. He is also likely to be more savvy about regulatory issues.
