Shailesh Prakash, a key Google executive in charge of the company’s News efforts and central to the tech giant’s relationships with publishers, has resigned after two years in the role.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Shailesh Prakash, vice president and general manager of Google News, has departed the company amid ongoing tensions between the tech giant and news publishers. Prakash’s resignation comes at a time when Google’s relationships with news outlets remain strained over issues such as traffic declines and compensation for the use of their content.
Prakash joined Google two years ago from the Washington Post, where he spent over a decade as Chief Information Officer, overseeing data and technology. During his tenure at the Post, he played a crucial role in transforming the news outlet’s digital operation and worked closely with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos following his acquisition of the publication in 2013.
At Google, Prakash brought an understanding of publishers’ frustrations as they grappled with declining traffic and sought compensation for Google’s use of their content. In addition to overseeing product and engineering for the News group, he communicated with leaders at news publishers regarding changes related to search and generative AI.
