Shira Ovide, Columnist

Alphabet Answers a CEO Question But Raises New Ones

Is Sundar Pichai ready for the tech hot seat? Does the company’s structure still work?

Meet the new boss.

Photographer: Ron Jenkins/Getty Images

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Google’s parent company took an obvious step on Tuesday to replace its absentee chief executive officer. And while Alphabet Inc.’s leadership change removes a cloud hanging over the company, it also creates potential new ones.

Larry Page and Sergey Brin, the founders of Alphabet, wrote that Sundar Pichai will become the CEO of the corporate parent of Google in addition to the post as Google boss that he has held since 2015. This change was long overdue. Page had grown increasingly invisible inside and outside the company, and he was no longer doing the job required of a powerful corporate chieftain in 2019.