Top Google exec who NZTE helped move to NZ reportedly 'sidelined' in restructure

Wednesday, 22 September 2021

Immigration NZ has declined to disclose the reasons that allowed it to give permission for Google senior vice president Urs Hölzle to move to NZ during the Covid pandemic.

Google is not commenting on a United States report that a top executive has been sidelined by the company shortly after New Zealand Trade and Enterprise helped him move to New Zealand.

NZTE spokesman Andrew Holden confirmed in July that it had supported an application by Google’s senior vice president of engineering Urs Hölzle for a visa allowing him to move to New Zealand and work remotely for Google.

CNBC reported last week that Google Cloud chief executive Thomas Kurian had shown his mettle by “benching” several company veterans, including Hölzle who was Google’s eighth employee.

Hölzle had effectively been sidelined, with some of his day-to-day responsibilities removed in favour of a more “strategic” role, it reported.

* NZTE won't say why it helped top Google exec come to NZ to work remotely

US technology news service ZDnet said Hölzle would focus “on long-term architecture and infrastructure across Google” while Silicon Valley-based Brad Calder would lead its Google Cloud product and engineering teams.

Google NZ would not comment on whether Hölzle had been sidelined, as CNBC reported.

“As Google Cloud grows, we regularly evaluate the best organisational structure to better scale our business and provide a world-class experience for our customers,” a spokeswoman said.

Google subsequently added that Holzle still oversaw “a team of thousands” and would work on strategic infrastructure projects with Google chief executive Sundar Pichai.

Immigration NZ has declined to set out the exemption criteria under which Hölzle was granted residency and permission to travel to New Zealand during the Covid pandemic, citing privacy reasons.

It is understood Holzle applied in a personal capacity for a visa to live and work remotely for Google from New Zealand, rather than that process being led by Google.

It emerged in August that Google co-founder Larry Page had also been granted New Zealand residency after applying for an investor visa in November last year.