Google senior VP and head of Google+ to leave after eight years

Google is saying goodbye to one of its top executives.

Vic Gundotra, senior vice president and head of Google+, said Thursday that he was leaving the company after nearly eight years. He didn’t say where he was headed or why he had decided to leave.

“Now is the time for a new journey. A continuation. An ‘and then.’ I am excited about what’s next,” he said in a Google+ post announcing his departure. “But this isn’t the day to talk about that. This is a day to celebrate the past 8 years. To cry. And smile. And to look forward to the journey yet to come.”

He thanked the “invincible dreamers” of the company’s social networking team and specifically called out Google co-founder Larry Page for his guidance through the years.

“From starting Google I/O, to being responsible for all mobile applications, to creating Google+, none of this would have happened without Larry’s encouragement and support,” Gundotra said.

Gundotra had been focused on Google’s social networking strategy to compete with Facebook and other tech companies.

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