Google’s longtime privacy chief Keith Enright has announced his resignation from the tech giant after a 13-year tenure. The news of his resignation comes amid significant restructuring within Google’s privacy and compliance teams, and notably, the company has revealed that it has no plans to appoint a direct successor to his role.

“We regularly evolve our legal, regulatory and compliance efforts to meet new obligations and expectations. Our latest changes will increase the number of people working on regulatory compliance across the company,” a Google spokesperson said, according to a Reuters report.

Enright officially took over the role of chief privacy officer in September 2018 and has been guiding Google through a period of intense scrutiny over data handling practices. His leadership came at a time when tech companies were under constant scrutiny for their privacy policies, and Google was often at the forefront of these debates.

“After more than 13 years at Google, I’m ready for a change and will be moving forward this fall, taking what I’ve learned and doing something new,” Enright wrote in a LinkedIn post.

According to Google, Enright’s departure is part of a broader restructuring strategy. The company aims to distribute privacy and compliance responsibilities more widely across various product management teams rather than centralizing them within a single office. This change is intended to integrate privacy considerations more closely with product development processes.

Meanwhile, according to a Forbes report, Google confirmed Enright’s departure to employees in mid-May, saying he would leave the company in the autumn. One of the relevant sources told the publication that the news of Enright’s departure was a shock to Google employees as he was well-liked and respected, and had a key role in representing Google in various high-stakes areas. He also testified before Congress and regulatory bodies, leading the company through complex privacy challenges and helping address public and government concerns.

News of Enright’s departure follows the departure of Google’s competition law chief Matthew Bye, who is leaving the company after 15 years. These two major resignations further highlight a period of significant change within the company’s legal and compliance teams.

The sweeping restructuring at Google also recently included layoffs and changes to the way the company handles privacy and legal compliance. Notably, several members of the legal investigations team, which was responsible for handling requests for user data from law enforcement and other legal entities, have reportedly left. The move has raised concerns among some employees about the company’s commitment to balancing legal compliance with user privacy.