Elizabeth Warren just tweeted at Larry Page that Congress will still hold him accountable for Google, regardless of his job title (GOOGL)
AP Photo/David J. Phillip
Google cofounders Larry Page and Sergey Brin announced on Tuesday they would step down from their executive roles at the tech giant's parent company, Alphabet.
The US presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who has made regulating big tech a cornerstone of her campaign, tweeted that lawmakers would continue to hold Page accountable for the company's business practices, regardless of his title, because of his majority control of the voting power.
Warren also said she still expected Page to testify about the company before Congress.
The US presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren isn't letting former Alphabet CEO Larry Page off the hook.
Page, along with Alphabet President Sergey Brin, said that they would step down from their executive positions at Google's parent company, announcing the change through a blog post on Tuesday. The Google cofounders' announcement signaled the end of a 21-year era during which they have presided over the company.
But changes in Alphabet's corporate structure also come at a time when its flagship company, Google, has faced close regulatory scrutiny over its business practices and the way it treats consumer data. So far, Page has largely stayed out of the spotlight. Instead, Google CEO Sundar Pichai has served as the face of the company, leading its press events, town halls, and appearing in congressional hearings.
Warren, who has made regulating big tech companies like Google, Amazon, and Facebook a cornerstone of her campaign for president, drew attention to Page's absence from regulatory hearings in a tweet.
"Congrats on the move, Larry Page!" she tweeted. "Quick reminder: We do still expect you to testify before Congress."
She also highlighted that Page and Brin remain firmly in control over the company, through their joint share holdings.
"Changing your title while staying on the board and retaining effective control of it will not exempt you from accountability," Warren said.
The Democratic senator from Massachusetts has been deeply critical of Google's dominance in the tech industry and its business practices, and has pushed for the company to be broken up.
"I want a government that makes sure everybody — even the biggest and most powerful companies in America — plays by the rules," Warren said in a statement to The New York Times in March. "To do that, we need to stop this generation of big tech companies from throwing around their political power to shape the rules in their favor and throwing around their economic power to snuff out or buy up every potential competitor."
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