Google Reshuffles AI Leadership: Search Head Raghavan Moves to Chief Technologist Role

Google just dropped a major org reshuffle aimed at supercharging its AI push. Here’s what went down:

The Big Move:

• Prabhakar Raghavan (Knowledge & Information chief since 2018, overseeing Search, Ads, Geo, Commerce) is stepping into the newly created Chief Technologist role—basically going back to his CS roots for a bigger strategic play
• Nick Fox, a longtime Google exec, takes over Raghavan’s Knowledge & Information seat

Why It Matters: Google is consolidating its AI bets to move faster. CEO Sundar Pichai framed it as prepping for the “Gemini era.” Two key moves:

1. Gemini app team joins Google DeepMind (under Demis Hassabis) → tighter feedback loops, quicker model deployment, smoother post-training workflows
2. Assistant teams shift to Platforms & Devices → closer alignment with hardware products, unified AI-powered home initiatives

The Scorecard: Raghavan’s track record: Led Gmail and Drive past 1B users each, championed AI features like Smart Reply/Compose early on, and spearheaded Knowledge & Information’s expansion (AI Overviews, Circle to Search, video understanding in Lens, etc.). Under his era, Google also shipped NotebookLM Audio Overviews (went viral), expanded Search capabilities, and helped doctors detect diabetic retinopathy—600K+ screenings already.

Context: This follows Google’s earlier moves like creating DeepMind consolidation and merging Platforms & Devices. The signal: Pichai is betting that tighter org integration = faster AI iteration. Smart play in a space where speed matters more than ever.

Fox’s been instrumental in shaping Google’s AI product roadmap—so the transition looks smooth on paper.