Unless you have been completely isolated from the internet, television news, or even print media you have no doubt heard about the massive shake-up happening with the world’s largest search giant lately. Google has transformed into Alphabet, a massive holdings company that has a new slimmed down Google as one of its subsidiaries along with Nest Labs, Google Ventures, Google Capitol, Calico, Google X and likely a few others as time goes on. Larry Page is now the CEO of Alphabet, co-founder of Google, Sergey Brin is Alphabet’s President and Sundar Pichai is CEO of Google with Android and Youtube still nestled under the Google umbrella. It is a pretty massive change, but if one ex-googler is to be believed this kind of change is nothing new, and could actually be expected.
The source, who would prefer to remain anonymous explained that Page and Brin have always been comfortable making changes within Google. “As far as Larry and Sergey are concerned, they’re thinking about it beyond 10 years, even 100 years from now,” the former Googler said “All of the HR policies I’ve had exposure to, a lot of the programs even within Google, they’ve all had that long-term vision. In order to succeed at that long-term point, you have to not be afraid to disrupt your own company.” And disrupt it they did, but most employees have come to expect frequent changes within the Mountain View company. “The internal joke within [Google] was if you’re not moving your desk every six months, something was very wrong with the company.”
These changes don’t always seem to be just to improve things, however. Google has been known for management restructurings they call “reorgs.” Some anonymous sources have suggested that sometimes the so-called reorgs are the result of internal politics and power struggles as opposed to actual necessity. “Anytime there was a change in senior management there was a reorg for the sake of a reorg,” Another ex-Google employee said. With this new arrangement as Alphabet, there are very likely to be a few “reorgs” and even more moved desks. One source even suggested that when the restructuring is complete there could even be a mass exodus of employees who aren’t happy with where they end up. It all remains to be seen.