Eric Schmidt will officially step down as Alphabet’s executive chairman

Alphabet Inc. issued an announcement on Thursday confirming a major executive shake-up: Eric Schmidt is out as the company’s executive chairman of the board of directors, effective when the company holds its next board meeting in January 2018. At that point, he will transition to a role of “technical advisor” for Alphabet and still serve on its board as a member.

“Larry [Page], Sergey [Brin], Sundar [Pichai], and I all believe that the time is right in Alphabet’s evolution for this transition,” Schmidt said as part of the announcement. “The Alphabet structure is working well, and Google and the Other Bets are thriving.” He noted one possible explanation for the transition: to “expand” his efforts in the worlds of philanthropy and “science and technology issues.” (This could, among other things, include more vocal opposition to lobbyists and other firms who deny climate change and denounce net neutrality.)

The announcement includes statements from Alphabet CEO Larry Page and independent board director John Hennessy thanking Schmidt for 17 years of contributions to Google and Alphabet. It also suggests that a “non-executive chairman” will be appointed in 2018.

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Ars Technica

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