Google search chief Singhal to quit, to be replaced by AI head

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Amit Singhal, senior vice president of search at Google, speaks at the garage where the company was founded on Google's 15th anniversary in Menlo Park, California September 26, 2013. REUTERS/Stephen Lam

San Francisco, Feb 4: India-born Amit Singhal, the longtime head of Google’s Internet search business, is set to quit the company later this month and will be replaced by the technology giant’s artificial intelligence chief.

Singhal, 47, who joined Google in 2000, has been involved with many technologies that have made Alphabet, the parent of Google, an engineering powerhouse and one of the world’s most valuable companies.

“February 26 will be my last day at Google. My relationships are the most important thing I’ve accumulated in life,” Singhal wrote in his retirement post on Google Plus.

Describing his 15-year stint at the company as a “dream journey”, Singhal wrote he wished to spend time with his family and intended to give away some of his fortune.

“It has always been a priority for me to give back to people who are less fortunate, and make time for my family amidst competing work constraints – but on both fronts, I simply want to give and do more,” Singhal wrote on Thursday.

“Now is a good time to make this important life change. Things are in amazing shape. Search is stronger than ever, and will only get better in the hands of an outstanding set of senior leaders who are already running the show day-to-day,” he added.

Singhal will be replaced by John Giannandrea, currently working in artificial intelligence(AI) at Alphabet.

Born in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, Singhal joined Google in 2000 and his earliest jobs at the company was rewriting the initial breakthrough algorithms.

“From a little boy growing up in the Himalayas dreaming of the Star Trek computer, to an immigrant who came to the United States with two suitcases and not much else, to the person responsible for Search at Google, every turn has enriched me and made me a better person,” Singhal wrote.

Also Read  Battle for Capital: Delhi goes to polls tomorrowNew Delhi: The stage is set for the high-stakes Assembly elections in Delhi, with over 1.56 crore voters eligible to cast their ballots from 7 am onwards on Wednesday. Voting will take place across 13,766 polling stations in all the 70 Assembly constituencies to decide the fates of 699 candidates in a contest that could reshape the political landscape of the capital. Led by Arvind Kejriwal, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is seeking a third straight term, banking on its governance record and welfare schemes. On the other hand, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is making a determined push to reclaim the capital after more than 25 years. The Congress, which ruled Delhi for 15 years till 2013, is striving to stage a comeback after failing to win a single seat in the previous two elections. Polling will begin at 7 am on Wednesday and continue until 6 pm under tight security arrangements. The Election Commission has deployed 220 companies of paramilitary forces, 35,626 Delhi Police personnel, and 19,000 home guards to ensure peaceful voting. Nearly 3,000 polling booths have been identified as sensitive, and special security arrangements, including drone surveillance, have been made at some of these locations. According to Delhi Police, additional police forces will be deployed for the sensitive booths where Quick Reaction Teams (QRTs) will also be stationed to maintain law and order. Special provisions have been made for senior citizens and persons with disabilities, with 733 polling stations designated for their accessibility. In an effort to streamline the process, the Election Commission has introduced a Queue Management System (QMS) app, which will enable the voters to check crowd levels in real time. Additionally, 6,980 out of 7,553 eligible voters under the home voting facility have already cast their ballots. The campaigning, which officially ended at 6 pm on Monday, saw a high-voltage battle between the three main contenders. The AAP focused on its governance model, with Kejriwal and Chief Minister Atishi leading rallies across the city. Led by heavyweights like Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and party president JP Nadda, the BJP intensified its attack on the AAP over corruption allegations and law and order issues. The Congress, led by Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, too put up a spirited campaign, targeting both the AAP and the BJP on various issues.

“It fills me with pride to see what we have built in the last fifteen years. Search has transformed people’s lives; over a billion people rely on us…Today, it has become second nature to us. My dream Star Trek computer is becoming a reality, and it is far better than what I ever imagined,” he added.

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