Google Hires Former VP of Microsoft’s Office Product Group

Business Insider is reporting that Google has hired Javier Soltero, a former head of strategy for Microsoft Office. Soltero had left Microsoft in late 2018 amid internal reorganization.

In his new role with Google, Soltero will take over as Vice President of G Suite. Google’s suite of programs includes Gmail, Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides, Google Drive and more. The company has made inroads in the productivity market dominated by Microsoft. While G Suite is available for free, a more robust version is offered to business customers for a monthly subscription. As of Q4 2018, Google reported having some five million paying G Suite customers.

Soltero brings much to the table for Google. After several years at VMware, he joined Microsoft when the company bought his startup Acompli, turning it into Outlook Mobile. He spent his first year at Microsoft as Corporate Vice President of Outlook, followed by two years as Corporate Vice President of the Office Product Group. His final role was as Corporate Vice President of Cortana.

Google has been hiring a string of executives as it tries to compete with Microsoft and Amazon in the cloud industry. At Google, Soltero will report directly to Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian.