Former Intel executive steps down as Google Cloud COO after 7-month stint

Diane Bryant, a top executive of Alphabet’s (GOOGL) cloud computing division stepped down Tuesday, just seven months after taking up the post. The loss comes about a month after several employees resigned in protest after the company signed a controversial contract with Pentagon to provide AI technology.

Bryant had joined Google Cloud as the chief operating officer in November last year, after ending a long career with Intel (INTC) where she worked for nearly quarter of a century holding various important positions.

A statement from Google said, “We can confirm that Diane Bryant is no longer with Google. We are grateful for the contributions she made while at Google and we wish her the best in her next pursuit.” Bryant’s resignation is widely seen as a loss to the company, considering the decent growth the cloud division registered during her tenure, rising to the third largest player in the segment.

At Google Cloud, Bryant worked under chief executive officer Diane Greene. According to sources close to the matter, Greene recently expressed her wish to add tech firm GitHub to the Google fold before it was acquired by Microsoft (MSFT) last month.

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Recent statistics show that Google Cloud’s market share grew consistently in recent months, narrowing the gap with immediate rivals Amazon Web Services, a unit of Amazon (AMZN) and Microsoft Azure, cloud computing platform of the Redmond-based tech giant.

Bryant had joined Google Cloud as the chief operating officer in November last year, after ending a long career with Intel

Interestingly, Bryant is leaving the job at a time when Intel is searching for a replacement for Brian Krzanich who recently left the chipmaker as the chief executive officer after he was found guilty of violating the company’s anti-fraternization policy.

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Bryant was one among the top three executives of Intel during her career there and was touted as a potential candidate for the top post. She left Intel while heading the company’s data center group. It is speculated that Intel might seek to have Bryant on board once again as a successor to Krzanich. Meanwhile, Bryant has not yet disclosed the reason behind the abrupt departure and her future plans.

Alphabet shares lost more than 2% in the early hours of Tuesday, after closing notably higher in the previous trading session.

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