A change in leadership will soon take place at the site Google bought for $1.65 billion. While speaking at a conference in Ireland, YouTube cofounder and CEO Chad Hurley announced that he’ll step down and assume an advisory role.
Hurley was the last of YouTube’s cofounders to have close ties to the organization, and it’s not every day that a CEO operating at this level gives up his position, which makes the change significant. In all honesty, though, this development may not be as exciting as it sounds.
There’s no reason to believe Hurley’s being forced out, for example, since he’s been more than happy to let Googler Salar Kamangar run things for several years. There’s no reason to believe Hurley’s bailing, either, since the terms of the Google-YouTube deal released him a long time ago.
According to Lisa O’Carroll, Hurley just said at the F.ounders (not a typo) conference, "Right now I am in the process of transitioning into the role of adviser, stepping down, still being involved in the company but it’s given me an opportunity to work on new projects."
Hurley also complimented Kamangar, who appears to be the obvious choice in terms of replacing him if Google decides to keep the CEO position.
It should be interesting to see where the cofounder of YouTube lands next.
