Vic Gundotra, the head of Google+, has announced that he will be departing Google, leaving a big question mark over the future of G’s social network. While he stayed on-brand by announcing his move on Google+, some sources speaking to TechCrunch reveal that the future isn’t very bright for G’s social network at all. Apparently Google is pulling back on Google+ and will no longer consider the service to be one that competes with Facebook and Twitter.
Today, Google’s Vic Gundotra announced that he would be leaving the company after eight years. The first obvious question is where this leaves Google+, Gundotra’s baby and primary project for the past several of those years. What we’re hearing from multiple sources is that Google+ will no longer be considered a product, but a platform — essentially ending its competition with other social networks like Facebook and Twitter. A Google representative has vehemently denied these claims. “Today’s news has no impact on our Google+ strategy — we have an incredibly talented team that will continue to build great user experiences across Google+, Hangouts and Photos.”
