In a significant leadership shakeup, Google has appointed Prabhakar Raghavan as its new Chief Technologist, a role that places him at the helm of the company’s technological direction. The move comes as Google continues to revamp its leadership team, positioning itself to better compete in the rapidly evolving artificial intelligence (AI) landscape. Raghavan replaces Nick Fox, a longtime Google executive, as he takes on the critical role of steering the company’s technological strategy.
The announcement was made by Google CEO Sundar Pichai, who highlighted Prabhakar Raghavan’s deep expertise and vision for the future of technology. “Prabhakar has decided it’s time to make a big leap in his own career,” Pichai stated in a blog post. “In this role, he’ll partner closely with me and Google leads to provide technical direction and leadership, while growing our culture of tech excellence.” Raghavan will continue to report directly to Pichai.
Prabhakar Raghavan’s promotion to Chief Technologist follows 12 years of leading teams across Google Search, Ads, Commerce, Assistant, and other key products. His new role will place him at the forefront of Google’s push to stay ahead in the AI arms race, which has intensified as competitors like Microsoft and OpenAI gain momentum. The move also comes amid Google’s ongoing legal battles, with the company facing multiple antitrust lawsuits related to its search and ads business.
Who is Prabhakar Raghavan?
Prabhakar Raghavan is no stranger to innovation. A distinguished engineer with a PhD in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Bachelor of Technology from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, Raghavan has a storied career in the tech industry. His deep expertise in algorithms, machine learning, and data mining has earned him a reputation as one of the foremost authorities in search technology.
Before joining Google, Prabhakar Raghavan founded and led Yahoo Labs, where he was responsible for driving advancements in search and ad ranking, as well as marketplace design. He also served as CTO at Verity and spent 14 years at IBM, where he focused on developing groundbreaking algorithms and data science solutions.
Beyond his corporate achievements, Raghavan is also an academic contributor. He has published over 100 research papers, holds 20 patents, and co-authored two widely used graduate-level textbooks on algorithms and search. His influence extends to academia, where he has been a Consulting Professor of Computer Science at Stanford University and was honored with a Laurea honoris causa from the University of Bologna in 2009.
Prabhakar Raghavan’s Role in Google’s Future
Raghavan’s appointment as Chief Technologist comes at a critical time for Google. As the company seeks to accelerate its AI development, Raghavan’s leadership will be instrumental in guiding Google’s next generation of technological breakthroughs. With over 20 years of research experience in web search, algorithms, and databases, Raghavan is uniquely positioned to shape the future of Google’s search and AI products.
Raghavan’s impact at Google has already been profound. Under his leadership as Senior Vice President, he was responsible for several major product areas, including Google Ads, Commerce, Payments, and Search. He spearheaded innovations like Smart Reply and Smart Compose in G Suite, helping to integrate machine intelligence across Google’s productivity tools. He also played a key role in growing Google’s Ads & Commerce teams, overseeing search, display, and video advertising, while driving double-digit revenue growth.
As Chief Technologist, Raghavan will focus on ensuring that Google’s technological advancements continue to prioritize user trust, innovation, and ethical AI practices. He will also collaborate closely with Pichai and other key Google executives to drive forward Google’s AI strategy, positioning the company to maintain its leadership in a fiercely competitive industry.