Skift Take
It would be fascinating to know what Google CEO Larry Paige really thinks about the company's efforts in "travel." A change at the top in Maps could always point the compass in new directions.
Google’s head of “geo and commerce,” Jeff Huber, is stepping down from the job – a source briefed on the news tells us.
The products under previously under Huber’s supervision were Payments, Wallet, Offers, Shopping, Local Search, Maps & Earth and Travel.
From Skift:
Does the shakeup portend dissatisfaction at the top with how things are going in Maps and travel, including Google Flight Search, Google Hotel Finder, and Google Local, with the latter’s dose of Zagat, Frommer’s and Google+?
Hard to say.
Google Flight Search and Google Hotel Finder haven’t moved mountains in their early days.
Although Huber has moved on to Google X, the former ITA Software CEO, Jeremy Wertheimer, still heads Google Travel.
Asked if the executive changes in Google Maps filtered down to Google Travel and Google Local, a Google spokesperson tells Skift: “We have clear priorities across all our product areas. Yesterday’s announcement doesn’t change any of our plans.”
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