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Google’s organizational chart: the powerful people in the new Google Pixel group

When Google senior vice president Rick Osterloh took the stage last week to unveil the company’s latest line of Pixel phones and wearables, it marked the beginning of a new era for the search giant.

That’s because it was Google’s first major product launch event since unifying the hardware, Android and Chrome teams under Osterloh in April. The reshuffle, part of a broader leadership shakeup at Google, signaled the company was getting more serious about its Pixel lineup and taking on Apple’s iPhone.

Osterloh now oversees nearly 25,000 full-time employees, with 11 direct reports overseeing phones, tablets, Android, augmented reality and Chrome, according to an internal organizational chart reviewed by Business Insider that outlines the new power structure.

The reorganization also gave more power to rising stars under Osterloh, including Sameer Samat, who now oversees the entire Android ecosystem, a group of nearly 12,500 employees. It’s not just phones, but Android TV, Android Auto and its upcoming augmented reality platform.

Samat recently told BI that AI presents a killer opportunity for Android that it plans to seize.

“We will be very quick to not miss this opportunity,” he said. “It’s a once-in-a-generation moment to reinvent what phones can do. We will take advantage of that moment.”


Sameer Samat, head of Android, speaking on stage at a Google event.

Sameer Samat, president of the Android ecosystem, speaks on stage at a Google event.

Google



Chrome will continue to be led by Parisa Tabriz, a vice president who now reports directly to Osterloh, according to internal data.

Shakil Barkat, a VP who has seen less public attention, also accrued more responsibility as VP of devices and services, overseeing the second-largest group of employees after Samat.

Google said it unified its teams because of the AI ​​boom.

“AI gives us an incredible opportunity to reimagine computing platforms for the next decade,” Google CEO Sundar Pichai said when he announced the reorganization, adding that “we have to do it at the intersection of hardware, software and AI.”

For years, Google and Apple have tried to improve their smartphones based on hardware specifications, such as camera quality and display refresh rates. Now, the two companies have signaled that the upcoming battle will focus on AI.

Where Apple plans to focus on its device features, Google is turning to its cloud advantage and has started with its Gemini AI language models to make both its Pixel phones and the wider Android ecosystem more compelling to customers.

Google’s AI offensive will require a unified strategy. It will also have to respect long-standing boundaries between its Pixel work and relationships with its Android partners, so as not to play favorites with its own products.

It’s not an easy job for Osterloh. Here’s his new team, sorted by the number of employees he oversees. A Google spokesperson declined to comment for this story.

  • Sameer Samat – President, Android Ecosystem
  • Shakil Barkat – VP, Devices and Services Product Group
  • Rishi Chandra – Managing Director and Vice President of Health and Home
  • Parisa Tabriz – VP, Chrome browser
  • Shimrit Ben-Yair – VP, Photos and Google One
  • Ornella Indonesia – Commercial Director
  • Anthony Chavez – VP, Product Management
  • Linus Upson – VP, Engineering
  • Matt Vokoun – VP, R&D Strategy and Business Operations
  • Jay Yagnik – VP Research
  • Julie Lin – Program Manager
  • Aparna Pappu – General Manager and Vice President, Google Workspace (dotted line report)

Are you a current or former Google employee and have more information to share? Do you have a tip? You can contact this reporter securely on Signal at hughlangley.01 or email at [email protected].

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