Vic Gundotra’s departure from Google has hit the news today. One day after Facebook announces record profits. A coincidence or time to change to someone who can compete against Facebook? It’s time to loop back to some ex-Microsoft friends who I worked with and reported to Vic at Microsoft and exchange some views. Many of us have a different view of Vic working in his organization at Microsoft than his bigger than Life at Google.
Google+ Head Vic Gundotra Leaving Company
Vic Gundotra, who aggressively led Google into the social world with the creation of Google+, is leaving the company. A Google spokesperson ...
Google exec Vic Gundotra is leaving, Dave Besbris is taking over ...
Highly Cited-GigaOM-
Google executive Vic Gundotra leaving company
In-Depth-Economic Times-
Google Plus Boss Vic Gundotra Leaving Google
Blog-New York Times (blog)-
Google's top social networking executive departs
In-Depth-SFGate-
Re/code hints at some of the issues.
Key to Gundotra’s often pugnacious approach with Google+ was the wonky idea of “circles,” where people could define who they want to share information with in different contexts, rather than all relationships being equal and two-sided, like Facebook’s notion of friends.
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While no Facebook killer, Google+ has most definitely become a powerful sharing and identification tool for users and, most of all, for Google. It, along with the success of Google I/O, also vaulted Gundotra into the powerful inner circle of Page, from which he now departs.
Where will Vic go next? Re/code closes asking the same.
On his Google+ page, Gundotra’s introduction notes: “Fell in love with the power of software at age 11, and am still in love.” But in love with what now?
Presumably, we’ll see soon enough.