New Delhi: Google quietly replaced one of its most influential executives, Brian McClendon, who was the head of its Google Maps unit several months ago.
McClendon served as the Vice President of Google Maps and was replaced by another veteran Jen Fitzpatrick, who is also one of its first female engineers since 1999.
A report on Business Insider notes that the change happened around October last year, around the time when Sundar Pichai was promoted to be Google’s product chief.
One source close to the matter says that McClendon is currently on the bench and evaluating his options, which means he could as well be on his way out. Another source, however, says that he is looking at opportunities to start a new project within Google.
McClendon has been described as a towering figure within Google. He was an engineering VP at Keyhole, a digital mapping software company that Google acquired in 2004 and which became the basis of Google Earth.
In 2013, McClendon said that 20 per cent of search queries on Google are location specific. The same year, he was awarded the United Nations Champions of the Earth award for ‘harnessing the power of technology to support conservation and green economic development.’
This shakeup is a big change for the maps group, one of Google’s most popular products and a vital adjunct to Google’s highly profitable search business.
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