After leaving Google final yr, he took what he described as “a mini gap year”.
Speaking about how he has been spending his free time, he said on LinkedIn, external: “I’ve already grown a beard, bought a single sculling boat and plan to learn scuba diving from my son when he qualifies as an instructor.”
He additionally grew to become a non-executive director of the Guardian Media Group final yr, however has now stood down from that function.
In January 2026 he was made a CBE within the King’s New Year Honours for companies to expertise and digital abilities.
On his relationship with TV, he instructed the Royal Television Society final yr: “My experience of watching television and learning from television and its values shaped me more than so much else in my life.
“Morecambe and Wise for me, the Nine O’Clock News, Not The Nine O’Clock News, Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet, Doctor Who particularly.
“So many people who work in tech were shaped by the portrayal of science, technology in those kind of shows.”
