Personnel changes in a company don’t normally interest us, but Vic Gundotra leaving Google has some big implications for users. Gundotra was the head of Google+, and it is rumored that his leaving signals a change in strategy. Could Google be about to roll back the forced integration of Google+ into its products?
TechCrunch spoke to anonymous sources who said the search giant is downgrading the importance of Google+, and moving the teams who work on Hangouts and Photos to Android. Google has denied the rumor, but it’s undeniable that Google+ has failed to catch on with users, and its integration into YouTube was a PR disaster.
Sources say that Google+ is not ‘dead’, but moving resources away from it doesn’t look good for its future. Google has lots of very successful products, but Google+ has never caught on and has even become the butt of jokes on mainstream television.
There have been user backlashes every time it has been integrated into another product, which peaked last year when YouTube’s comment system was moved to Google+. Google presented the change as a better way to manage comments and conversations on YouTube, but many users resented being pushed into using a Google account with the video site.
It has seemed like Google’s tactic was to steam ahead with integrating its social platform across its products regardless of user feedback, but Vic Gundotra’s departure could see an end to that.
Source: TechCrunch, ArsTechnica