Josh Woodward, a 42-year-old product executive from Oklahoma, has emerged as a key figure in Google’s AI transformation, helping the company regain its footing in the fast-evolving artificial intelligence race. Though not a public name, those inside Google know him as a driving force behind the Gemini app, the company’s flagship AI product, and as head of Google Labs, the unit responsible for experimental AI projects. Woodward joined Google in 2009 after a product management internship and has since held a range of roles, including leading the Next Billion Users initiative, which focused on understanding users in emerging markets like India. His early work on a weekly newsletter for the team became so popular that people began requesting to be added, a sign of his ability to connect with audiences through clear, thoughtful communication. In 2022, he joined Google Labs, where he quickly became central to the development of several high-impact products. One of the first was Project Tailwind, an AI-powered notebook idea that originated from a 20% time project by senior product manager Raiza Martin. Woodward helped refine it into NotebookLM, a tool that analyzes documents, videos, and audio to provide summaries and insights. The product’s success was fueled in part by his decision to let the team use Discord for collaboration, despite Google’s preference for internal tools—demonstrating his willingness to break through bureaucracy to get things done. A pivotal moment came in late August with the launch of Nano Banana, a feature in the Gemini app that allows users to create digital figurines by blending multiple photos. The feature went viral, overwhelming Google’s custom-built tensor processing units (TPUs) and forcing temporary usage limits. “Our TPUs almost melted,” said Amin Vahdat, head of AI infrastructure, at a company all-hands meeting. But the demand validated the product’s potential, and by September, Gemini had surpassed 5 billion image generations, briefly overtaking OpenAI’s ChatGPT in Apple’s App Store. By October, the Gemini app had 650 million monthly active users, up from 350 million in March, and AI Overviews—Google’s generative search summaries—reached 2 billion users. The company’s capital spending for AI infrastructure rose to $91–93 billion for the year, reflecting its aggressive push. Alphabet’s stock, which had dropped 18% in the first quarter, rebounded with a 62% gain in 2025, outperforming even Meta. Woodward’s leadership style is defined by his ability to move fast, listen to users, and solve small but critical problems. He introduced a “Papercuts” initiative to address minor user frustrations, like the ability to switch AI models mid-conversation without restarting. He also responds directly to user feedback on platforms like X and Reddit, a rare move for a senior executive. At Google’s 2024 I/O event, he delivered a live demo of NotebookLM, showing real-time analysis of uploaded content, and later hosted a second event, Demo Slam, for internal teams to showcase rapid prototypes. The event was so well received that it was held again in May. Colleagues describe him as calm, approachable, and deeply committed to responsible AI. He has long emphasized the dual potential of AI to empower creativity or cause harm, especially as generative content blurs the line between real and synthetic. The release of Nano Banana Pro, which can generate highly realistic images, has drawn criticism for issues like racial misrepresentation, underscoring the challenges ahead. Despite the pressure, Woodward remains focused on building tools that enhance human potential. “I’ve never had more fun than right now,” he told CNBC, citing the pace and the power of the models to unlock new possibilities. As Google looks toward 2026, Woodward’s role is more critical than ever. He is not just leading a product but helping define the future of AI at one of the world’s most influential tech companies.