Caesar Sengupta Departs Google After 15 Years

Caesar Sengupta, who has long served as the head of Google’s Next Billion Users initiative, announced his departure from the company next month. He has been with Google for almost 15 years.

Leadership Roles at Google

In addition to leading the Next Billion Users project, Sengupta also oversaw Google’s payments division for the past three years. He is a familiar face at Google events held in India, Brazil, and Indonesia.

The Next Billion Users Initiative

Sengupta is widely recognized for his leadership of the Next Billion Users unit. This initiative focused on increasing accessibility to the internet and Google’s services for individuals in emerging markets.

Key accomplishments of the Next Billion Users initiative include:

• Bringing internet connectivity to numerous railway stations and public areas in India and other regions.
• The launch of Google Pay in India, which operated independently of traditional credit card infrastructure.
• Development of products like Android Go, Datally, Kormo Jobs, and the Files app.

Previous Roles and Responsibilities

Before his work with the Next Billion Users initiative, Sengupta held the position of VP and product lead for ChromeOS, Google’s desktop operating system powering Chromebooks.

Google’s Official Statement

A Google spokesperson stated that Sengupta has decided to pursue entrepreneurial endeavors outside of the company. They highlighted his significant contributions to ChromeOS, the Next Billion Users initiative, and Google Pay, wishing him success in his future ventures.

Sengupta currently holds the role of VP and GM of Next Billion Users and Payments.

Message to Colleagues

In an email shared with colleagues and publicly, Sengupta expressed his inspiration from the contributions of Googlers working in Africa, APAC, LATAM, and MENA. He noted the increasing influence of these regions on Google’s product development.

He also acknowledged the substantial progress made in digitizing economies, localizing Google’s presence, and increasing Google’s investment in these countries.

Investments in Asian Startups

During his tenure, Google, under Sengupta’s guidance, made several investments in startups throughout Asia. These included Dunzo, a delivery startup based in Bangalore, Glance, an Android lockscreen developer, and Dailyhunt, a popular news and entertainment application.