"We recognize India requires a distinct approach to government affairs", says Google's Policy Head Wilson White

Amid the expansion push and recognizing that India requires a distinct approach to government affairs, Google has decided to restructure its government affairs and public policy (GAPP) function in India.

According to an email sent by Wilson White, Google's head of government affairs and public policy, to the company's employees on February 25, the move is aimed at strengthening its capabilities in a market "critical to its future growth strategy", particularly in the area of artificial intelligence (AI).

"India has always been a strategically important market for Google and YouTube, and it plays an increasing role in shaping the future of technology for the world. With the rise of AI and its potential to transform key sectors of the Indian economy, it's clear that we need to elevate our GAPP capabilities to match this dynamic landscape," the email read, according to the Moneycontrol report.

The email follows the recent departure of Google India's public policy head Sreenivasa Reddy, after a short stint of about 16 months, following Archana Gulati's resignation merely five months into the same role in 2022.

Google's key departures in India also come at a time when the firm is reportedly facing a series of antitrust challenges. The tech giant is currently fighting antitrust challenges against the practices of its businesses such as Android and Play Store. It is also attempting to deal with antitrust probes from the Competition Commission of India (CCI) for alleged abuse of dominance in its other businesses including news aggregation.

Read more: Google’s Public Policy Shake-up: Are big techs struggling to retain policy heads in India?

Further, the email mentioned that the restructuring will result in elimination of a few roles while opening new roles to increase capacity and support in the company's Cloud and YouTube initiatives.

As part of the restructuring, Google is creating a new Vice President-level role to lead the company's government affairs and public policy team in India; the executive will report to White and will oversee the entire function in India, with all team members reporting to the person. Iarla Flynn will continue to serve as the interim lead of the function in the country.

White said that these changes are specifically tailored to the country's unique needs and opportunities and the tech giant doesn't intend to replicate this structure in other markets.

"We recognize that India requires a distinct approach to government affairs. This restructuring will ensure we have the leadership, expertise, and organizational structure to effectively advocate for Google, YouTube and the broader ecosystem in India," the email added.

White further said, "We are deeply committed to being India's partner on its digital transformation journey. Our investments in AI infrastructure, research, and talent in India, as well as our strategic collaborations with state governments and our new campus facilities, all demonstrate our long-term commitment to India...This unified structure will enable greater coordination and ensure a cohesive "One Google" approach to government affairs in this important market...This will ensure we have the leadership capacity and expertise to effectively engage with policymakers at all levels."

Storyboard18 recently reported on how for companies like Google, it is an act of walking the tightrope towards delivering the best for consumers without compromising the ethical compass, especially while dealing with public policy affairs and related roles.

"...whoever is going to come up to handle this portfolio at Google, it's a gigantic task because you need to have a buy-in from not only external stakeholders like policymakers, government regulators, or other industry peers, but an important element is that they need to have internal stakeholders who understand this landscape — which is missing at present (in Google)," senior executive told Storyboard18.