Alphabet President, CIO & CFO Ruth Porat shares journey from banking to tech, discusses future of AI, and gives career advice. Topics include innovation at Google, safety of Waymo vehicles, renewable energy supply, partnerships, and the power of AI. Porat also talks about resilience and progress in a male-dominated industry.
Ruth Porat discusses her journey from banking to tech and her expanded role as President and Chief Investment Officer of Alphabet.
She highlights the importance of artificial intelligence (AI) at Google and its potential in healthcare and addressing climate change.
Deep dives
Ruth Perat's New Role as President and CIO of Alphabet
Ruth Perat, former CFO of Google and Alphabet, discusses her promotion to President and Chief Investment Officer of Alphabet. With her expanded role, Perat now oversees the investment of over $100 billion and aims to nurture growth outside of Google. She highlights the value of coming to Davos as a one-stop shop for meeting people from diverse regions and discusses her upbringing and career trajectory from California to Wharton Business School to Morgan Stanley and eventually Google.
Perat's Experience during the Financial Crisis and Transition to Google
Perat reflects on her time as CFO at Morgan Stanley during the financial crisis and how the experience shaped her career. She praises the leadership of James Gorman and their team's efforts in stabilizing the bank. Perat then discusses her move to Google, initially being skeptical about the company's potential. She mentions the innovative culture of Google and highlights the importance of the 20% time policy that allows employees to work on passion projects.
The Power of AI and Impact on Healthcare and Climate Change
Perat emphasizes the significant role of artificial intelligence (AI) at Google and its influence on various industries. She specifically mentions healthcare and the advancements made in early detection of breast cancer through AI analysis. Perat also discusses AI's potential in addressing climate change, citing projects within Google such as Project Greenlight to reduce automotive emissions. She concludes by expressing her excitement about the current era of AI and its transformative impact on society.
Alphabet President, CIO & CFO Ruth Porat shares details about her journey from banking to tech. She also gives her thoughts on the future of AI. She speaks on "The David Rubenstein Show: Peer-to-Peer Conversations". This interview was recorded January 16 in Davos.