Alphabet Inc-owned (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Google's India arm has hired Archana Gulati, who previously worked for the central government think-tank Niti Aayog, as its new public policy head, according to a Reuters source.
The former civil servant has served for many years in the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government and rose to the rank of joint secretary before joining Google.
She has also previously worked with the country's antitrust watchdog, the Competition Commission of India (CCI), as a senior official.
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Why It Matters: In recent times, many multinational giants, including Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:FB) and Walmart Inc (NYSE:WMT), have hired central government employees as they battle the tighter data and privacy regulations, as well as competition law scrutiny, under the Modi government.
Reuters reported that a Google India spokesperson confirmed the development but did not provide more details.
This came after CCI ordered a probe into Google over allegations that the search giant has indulged in "abuse of dominance in news aggregation" and forced unfair terms on digital news publishers.
Price Action: According to data from Benzinga Pro, Alphabet Class A shares closed 4.20% higher on Wednesday in the U.S. market.