A former director of the McKinsey Global Institute and former advisor to Barack Obama, James Manyika is now the vice president of technology and society at Google.

As of January 2022, James Manyika (pictured) joined Google as its first-ever vice president of technology and society. This position makes the Zimbabwean responsible for assessing the impact of technology on society, the economy, and the world. Specifically, he helps shape Google's perspective on issues such as the future of work, AI, the digital economy, and IT infrastructure, among others.

“I’m thrilled that James Manyika will be joining Google’s leadership team [...] He’s spent decades working at the intersection of technology and society and has advised several businesses, academic institutions, and governments along the way,” Sundar Pichai. CEO of Alphabet (Google’s parent company) said in a statement. With this position, James Manyika will report directly to Sundar Pichai.

After a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering at the University of Zimbabwe, James Manyika was awarded the Rhodes Scholarship, allowing him to enter a University in England where he obtained a Ph.D. in AI and robotics, mathematics, and computer science. He joined the consulting firm McKinsey in 1994 and was appointed Director in 2009. He has advised many technology company leaders on strategy and growth, as well as business innovation.

The author of several books on AI and robotics, and most recently on global economic trends, was appointed by former US President Barack Obama as Vice-Chair of the Global Development Council at the White House, as well as by two US Secretaries of State to the Digital Economy Council and the National Innovation Council.

He also serves on the boards of research institutions at Harvard, MIT, Oxford, Sanford, and other leading universities. The introduction of James Manyika to the Google executive team comes in the wake of concerns about the impact of technology on societies worldwide. As a major player in the industry, the Silicon Valley-based company is directly concerned. With this mission comes enormous responsibility, and leveraging the vice president of technology and society’s experience should help Google better understand the issues surrounding the topic.

Aïsha Moyouzame