Google CEO Larry Page thanked Gundotra for being with the company for eight years and for developing Google+ from nothing. Page said that: “I really enjoy using Google+ on a daily basis, especially the auto awesome movies which I really love sharing with my family and friends.”
In addition praising Gundotra for the development of Google+, Page also congratulated him for his work involved in guiding the teams that introduced the popular turn-by-turn navigation on Google Maps and also for improving Google’s own developer relations which, Page said, were “disparate efforts” before Vic Gundotra helped fix them.
Things were not always pleasant for Gundotra. Soon after Google+ was launched, he was criticized for insisting that Google+ users should use their legal names, not their pseudonyms. This caused many controversies in the internet world at that time. Gundotra came to work for Google in 2007 after being a general manager at Microsoft for 16 years and a year off to work on charitable causes.
Vic Gundotra The Founder Of Google+ Is Leaving Google – who will take his place?
Vic Gundotra did not say where he will be going next but some say that his sudden departure could indicate that he will be going to a competitor. Also, the future of the social network he’s founded remains uncertain for the time being. It is known that Google+ will not be Bradley Horrowitz, who was Gundotra’s right hand and Google+ product manager. Instead, sources say that David Besbris, the Vice President of Engineering will be in charge of Google+. It’s not certain yet if this will be permanent or just a temporary position to replace the abrupt departure of Gundotra.
What will Besbris do next with Google+, no one knows for sure. Some predict that the Photos service will be discontinued and the social network will be turned into a platform. Google denies these rumors, though. A Google representative said: “Today’s news has no impact on our Google+ strategy — we have an incredibly talented team that will continue to build great user experiences across Google+, Hangouts and Photos.”