Search Engine Land: Google Ads boss Jerry Dischler steps down. “The executive in charge of Google Ads, Jerry Dischler, stepped down after more than 15 years with Google. Google wouldn’t say whether Dischler will stay with the company, only that he would take on a ‘new challenge.’ Google confirmed to Search Engine Land that the decision was not related to the recent federal antitrust trial.”
The Messenger: Linda Yaccarino Faces Pressure To Resign as Major Advertisers Flee Elon Musk’s X. “As reported in Forbes on Monday, Yaccarino faces pressure from leading advertising executives to take a stand against her boss and X’s owner, Elon Musk, who has ignited fresh controversy over antisemitism on the platform by responding to posts that include anti-Jewish conspiracy theories.”
Wall Street Journal: Block’s Stock Price Is Down 80%. Enter CEO Jack Dorsey.. “Jack Dorsey has been notoriously hands-off. Recent events are forcing him to change. For years, his payments company, Block, was perceived as a success, even with him only in the background. Things changed last month when he started running Square, one of Block’s marquee units, after his handpicked deputy abruptly left.”
WIRED: Where the Hell Is X CEO Linda Yaccarino? . “LINDA YACCARINO HAS been the CEO of X since June, but you’d never know it. Elon Musk, the company’s owner, CTO, and super-user, still remains the gravitational force at its center. In an all-hands meeting last week, the transcript of which was published by The Verge, Musk said almost twice as much as Yaccarino—3,735 words to her 1,833. Yes, we counted. Parts of the all-hands read more as Yaccarino interviewing Musk about his vision for an everything app than as a CEO discussing their own.”
Business Insider: Google’s latest job cuts were pretty targeted and reportedly included several ‘director decapitations’. “At an all-hands meeting on Wednesday following the layoffs, Google News VP, Shailesh Prakash, said the cuts were made to ‘streamline’ the company, Command Line reported, citing unnamed sources. Prakash also noted that Google hired too many people during the pandemic and now, ‘there’s a reckoning.’”
Reuters: X social media’s India, South Asia policy head Gupta resigns-sources. “Social media platform X’s head of policy for India and South Asia, Samiran Gupta, has resigned, two sources said, a top departure that comes ahead of India elections and as the company fights a court battle with New Delhi over content removal.”
CNBC: Google executive turnover and role changes come as the company searches for new identity. “Key members of Google’s old guard have been shifting roles or leaving the company as it searches for its new identity. The changes encompass high-profile executives such as finance chief Ruth Porat, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki and employee No. 8, Urs Hölzle, among others. Some say they have left their roles for a new challenge and others have left to seek opportunities in artificial intelligence.” I have a comment for this but my keyboard keeps catching fire. Oh well.
Reuters: X reorganises trust and safety team under Elon Musk, CEO Linda Yaccarino. “X owner Elon Musk and Chief Executive Linda Yaccarino will both oversee the trust and safety team at the company formerly known as Twitter, the social media concern said on Monday. X’s product and engineering team will report to Musk, while Yaccarino will oversee all other divisions, including human resources, legal, finance, sales and operations, X said.”
IANS: Sundar Pichai took home $226 mn in 2022 amid layoffs at Google. “Amid job cuts at Google’s parent company Alphabet, its CEO Sundar Pichai took home a whopping compensation of nearly $226 million in 2022. According to the tech giant’s filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Pichaia’s compensation included stock awards of about $218 million.”
B&T: Pinterest Appoints Former Google Executive Bill Ready As CEO. “Image sharing service Pinterest have announced that Bill Ready will be taking over the role of chief executive officer, after Ben Silbermann announced his resignation following 12 years of tenure. Silbermann will remain with Pinterest, however he will be moving on to the position of executive chairman, with his responsibilities significantly reduced.”
ABC News: US airline CEOs call on Biden to lift mask mandate on travel. “A group of CEOs from all major U.S. airlines called on President Joe Biden to lift the federal mask mandate on public transportation. The group — which includes the heads of American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines — said current restrictions such as international predeparture testing requirements and the federal mask mandate are ‘no longer aligned with the realities of the current epidemiological environment.’”
WIRED: The Infinite Reach of Joel Kaplan, Facebook’s Man in Washington. “In Silicon Valley, Joel Kaplan is regarded as one of Facebook’s most curious enigmas. Hired in 2011 after eight years in the Bush White House, his tenure has coincided with Facebook’s rise to global dominance—and its ascendance to the throne of permanent controversy. Formally, Kaplan’s role is to forecast and manage policy risk. Functionally, his authority is as sprawling as the company’s reach. The 52-year-old has not only assembled one of history’s most prolific lobbies in Washington, where he manages relations across the federal government as well as with state capitals and their increasingly avid attorneys general.”
Bloomberg: Meta’s Clegg Promoted as Zuckerberg Steps Back From Policy. “Meta Platforms Inc. Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg has promoted his top policy executive, Nick Clegg, to an even greater role inside the company — a move that will mean less involvement in future policy decisions for the CEO and Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg.”
Engadget: Google’s new senior VP will explore technology’s impact on society. “Big Tech has long faced accusations that it’s a detriment to society, and Google thinks it can address those criticisms more directly. Axios’ Ina Fried says the internet pioneer has hired James Manyika as the company’s first Senior VP of Technology and Society. As Google told Engadget, the McKinsey Global Institute director will help explore tech’s impact on society and shape the firm’s points of view on subjects including AI, the future of work, sustainability and other areas that could make a significant difference.”
BBC: Credit Suisse boss Horta-Osorio resigns over Covid breaches. “The chairman of global banking giant Credit Suisse, Antonio Horta-Osorio, has resigned with immediate effect after breaking Covid quarantine rules. Mr Horta-Osorio, who was with the bank for just nine months, left following an internal investigation. The former boss of Lloyds Banking Group joined Credit Suisse after a series of scandals at the Swiss bank.”
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