Is Google CEO Sundar Pichai Ready for Washington?
He’s on his way to Capitol Hill in the latest test of his reputation as Silicon Valley’s great conciliator.
Sundar Pichai, chief executive officer of Google.
Photo illustration: 731; Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg
After Google’s chief executive officer turned down a U.S. Senate request to testify about election interference in September, some company subordinates justified it as a strategic move. Google’s leader would have sat next to top executives from Facebook Inc. and Twitter Inc. And just being lumped in with the social networks, these people say, would have impugned Google, wrapping the company up with the baggage of troll armies, tech addiction, and Cambridge Analytica. Ultimately, though, Google sat out for a simpler reason, according to a person familiar with the final call. Sundar Pichai, a conflict-averse boss, didn’t want to testify.
That turned out to be a mistake. With a place card, microphone, and empty chair set out for Google, the assembled senators teed off on the company for what they deemed its outrageous arrogance. Silicon Valley’s tensions with Washington haven’t exactly eased in the intervening three months. And this time, during Tuesday’s hearing of the House Judiciary Committee, Google’s CEO will be all alone.