Google communications head on a sabbatical

According to a memo Powell sent to staff late on Monday, she is apparently already enrolled and has been going to classes for the last two weeks and would take off for good on September 1, ReCode reported. Reportedly, she has been a close adviser to Google’s India-origin CEO Sundar Pichai.

The well-regarded executive was instrumental in communicating the search giant’s transition into the Alphabet structure and also around its push from what Pichai calls “AIfirst” computing, the report said. “It’s a rare person who feels the itch for a challenge beyond the already challenging role of leading comms at Google,” ReCode quoted Pichai as saying. 

“But Jessica is that rare person. I am extremely grateful for all that she has done for Google, most especially for leading a strong comms team that represents us so well and thoughtfully to our employees and the world,” he said. 

Powell delayed her departure after fired engineer James Damore wrote a controversial anti-diversity memo.  She took over the top comms job in 2015 after Rachel Whetstone joined Uber.