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Google CEO Larry Page just put Sundar Pichai in charge of almost everything

Google CEO Larry Page just put Sundar Pichai in charge of almost everything

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Google's Sundar Pichai, who's already responsible for overseeing Android and Chrome, is about to have even more on his plate. According to Recode, CEO Larry Page has sent a memo to employees revealing that Pichai will now lead nearly every major product division at the company. That includes search, maps, Google+, commerce, research, plus ads and infrastructure. The senior executives previously tasked with heading up those efforts at Google (including new world record holder Alan Eustace) will now report to Pichai instead of Page. Since YouTube is in many ways a standalone operation at this point, Pichai won't be a middleman between CEO Susan Wojcicki and Page; she'll still report directly to Google's top boss.

Page will continue to manage Google's business and operations, but these changes will allow him to focus on "the bigger picture," according to the report. Apparently Google's co-founder and chief executive has been feeling a bit handcuffed by his various duties, and now he'll have more freedom to concentrate on new products — or existing ones when he feels the need. Either way, it's a massive promotion for Pichai, who has been at Google since 2004. Recode notes that Pichai's official title isn't yet changing to reflect his newfound responsibilities, but next to Page and Sergey Brin, he's now one of the most powerful people in all of Mountain View.