Google's Indian-origin director of news laid off after 13 yrs

Madhav Chinnappa, the Indian-origin news executive, who is based in London took to LinkedIn to announce the update and expressed pride in what he has accomplished during his nearly 13 years at Google.

He joined Google in 2010 as the head of strategic partnerships at Google News.

In the heartfelt post, he reminisced about the various projects he led at Google, including the Digital News Initiative and the Journalism Emergency Relief Fund.

"Gardening leave" refers to a period when employees are no longer required to work at the office, but they continue to receive their full salary. During this time, they can explore and consider their next career move.

He expressed that he is fortunate to be in a "privileged position" where he has the luxury of time to carefully consider and plan the next steps in his career.

''I am in the privileged position of being able some time to figure that out. In the near term, I have some pressing family issues that need my fuller attention so in the spirit of the Zen proverb that the tea cup must be empty before it can be full, I will take August off and then spend September looking after my mum in India and only start thinking about work in October with a view to doing more things in 2024,'' he added.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Chinnappa completed his Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Economics and Policy Studies at Rice University and attended Jakarta International School for his schooling.

Before joining Google, he worked at BBC, United Business Media (UBM), and Associated Press Television News (APTN), accumulating 29 years of professional experience.

In January of this year, Google announced mass layoffs that affected approximately 12,000 individuals worldwide.

Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai conveyed to the staff through a memo that the company had conducted a thorough review of its products, workforce, and priorities, resulting in job cuts across different locations and technological divisions.

Pichai explained that the layoffs were necessary due to the economic downturn and were deemed essential for the long-term sustainability and well-being of the company.

"The fact that these changes will impact the lives of Googlers weighs heavily on me, and I take full responsibility for the decisions that led us here," said Pichai, adding that the layoffs were made after careful consideration.