Mountain View, California, United States
Kent Walker is the President of Global Affairs at Google and Alphabet, where he oversees the teams responsible for government relations, legal and compliance work, content policies and enforcement, and responsible innovation efforts. For thirty years, Kent has focused on the intersection of technology, law, and policy. Since joining Google in 2006, he has led the company’s advocacy on competition, content, copyright, and privacy. He has worked with government leaders and regulators around the world and served as the first chair of the Global Internet Forum to Combat Terrorism. He oversaw the creation of Google’s AI Principles in 2018 and today he is the chair of the company’s Advanced Technology Review Council. During Kent's tenure, Google has established important legal principles for online content under the First Amendment and Section 230 and has won what have been described as the three most important IP cases of the 21st century: Viacom v. YouTube (platform liability under the DMCA), the Google Books case (the right to scan and repurpose books), and Oracle v. Google (fair use of APIs). In addition to these cases, Kent oversaw notable competition settlements and litigation in Europe and the United States. Over the years, Kent has been involved with several nonprofits, community organizations, and industry associations. Currently, he serves on TechNet’s executive committee and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.