Google’s top and longtime ad exec Jerry Dischler is stepping down.
Dischler has spent 15 years at Google, and was most recently leading all of Google’s ad business. Dischler took over the role of vice president and general manager of ads at Google in 2020. He is credited with steering Google through privacy changes and for overseeing new uses of technology like machine learning and artificial intelligence for its advertising business. Google made more than $220 billion in revenue from advertising through the first three quarters of 2023.
Dischler helped spearhead Google’s advertising efforts around Google’s Chrome web browser phasing out third-party cookies. Under Dischler’s leadership, Google has focused on new ways of ad targeting and measurement that are designed to work for advertisers, consumers, and satisfy regulators.
In September, Dischler testified as part of the Department of Justice’s antitrust case against Google, saying that Google has raised ad prices by up to 5% to meet revenue targets. Dischler’s emails have also been used as part of the trial.
Google didn’t confirm if Dischler is moving into a new role within the business, or leaving the company.
“After more than 15 years on Google’s ads business, Jerry Dischler decided to take on a new challenge,” said Google’s Prabhakar Raghavan, SVP of knowledge and information in a statement. “Our ads business helps millions of businesses thrive and we’re grateful to Jerry for his many accomplishments in this area.”
Vidhya Srinivasan, an ad exec who joined Google in 2019, will fill Dischler’s role. She previously led product and engineering for Google’s core search, maps, and shopping formats. Her role now encompasses Google’s other ad formats, including YouTube and programmatic advertising. Srinivasan has recently worked on generative-AI features for Google ads and AI-based tools like a product called Performance Max. She has also worked on ad measurement tools and Google Analytics.
Before joining Google, Srinivasan worked at Amazon and IBM. Similarly to Dischler before her, Srinivasan will report to Raghavan. Srinivasan’s prior role will be filled by Google exec Shashi Thakur.
Srinivasan faces challenges in leading Google’s sprawling ad organization. Google is under increasing pressure to keep ad revenue growing amid big privacy changes. Despite Google’s plan to replace third-party cookies with cookie-less technology by 2024, advertisers and other industry observers increasingly believe that Google won’t be able to completely nix third-party cookies until at least 2025. Google has also faced backlash from advertisers over how Performance Max buys placements using AI. And it faces a complaint from the Justice Department that alleges Google is monopolizing multiple digital advertising technology products, as well as an antitrust suit aimed at its search business.
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