Chris Poole, the founder of controversial message board 4chan, has left Google after 5 years of bouncing around different departments within the tech giant, according to a report by CNBC.
Poole’s last official day at Google was April 13, however, his departure had only been reported recently.
Poole is sometimes considered a “boy genius” as he founded 4chan in 2003 when he was 15. He sold his creation for an undisclosed amount in 2015 and joined Google in 2016 to help revamp its social media efforts. After Google shuttered its Google+ efforts in 2019, Poole floated around the company and most recently took up residency in the Google Maps team as a Product Manager.
His position on the Maps team coincided with the addition of improved social functions to the navigation app. In December 2020, the company revamped its Explore tab with a feature that allows users to view and like reviews, photos, and other content related to nearby locations in a feed. Just last month, the company announced it had expanded upon the function with the ability to share photos with a short line of text under the Updates tab.
There is no obvious reason for Poole’s departure, but as CNBC notes, his departure could be linked to the vesting schedule of employee shares, which often vest after five years.
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