How many out there have ever heard of Google Express? I’m sure not many, which is probably why Google SVP Sundar Pichai has just given it a new leader. Google has just given the reins of Google Express to Brian Elliott. Brian Elliott had previously been working in Google’s Shopping unit. There was a hole to fill at Google Express because almost everyone else who had previously worked on Google Express had moved on and taken other jobs outside of Google. Tom Fallows the man who created and spearheaded Google Express left this past November for Uber in what proved to be the first domino to fall. To make matters worse the man over Tom Fallows, Sameer Samat also moved on from Google taking a job at Jawbone.
So with all this turnover and people coming and going it’s easy to see how Google Express can fall through the cracks and for it to remain unknown to a lot of the general public. Google Express started in 2013 as a same day delivery service. It was made to rival Amazon and their same day delivery service. In 2013, Google Express was only in the San Francisco area. By 2014, it had expanded to a few others cities, such as Los Angeles, New York, Washington DC and Boston among others. One would think the power of Google and the large groups of people in these packed urban areas would lead to fast growth and big time profits, but that has not been the case. If anything the service has had a very rocky couple of years and is still trying to get its sea legs in the same day delivery business.
To help the service along Google invested $500 million in Google Express in 2014 but has yet to see a return on its investment. Because of this Google is hoping Brian Elliott is the man to turn around the service and finally see it be a true rival for Amazon. While Brian Elliott will be the lead, ex- Wildfire executive Victoria Ransom will be under him, and they both will report to Engineering Vice President Oliver Heckmann. Google Express has the potential to be a really good service. Having a place where you can get toys, games and grocery’s all on one site is a great idea. Google Express looks like a Wal-Mart on wheels that maybe one day will deliver in self-driving cars if it makes it that far of course. Google Express just needs the right team in place to breathe life into it and to make sure it does not become another Nexus Q.