YEAH, BUT THE PAY IS NICE: Sundar Pichai just got the worst job in Silicon Valley.

Now, after spending the last several years effectively AWOL from the public and much of Alphabet, Page and Brin, both 46, are out just in time for the company to muddle through its biggest challenges in its history.

And poor Pichai has been tasked with navigating Alphabet through all of it, while Page and Brin get to shield themselves from all of the scrutiny and challenges.

But even as the new leader of Alphabet, Pichai is stuck between a rock and a hard place. And Page and Brin will still loom over all of it.

When founders leave, they really ought to leave.

UPDATE (FROM GLENN): Flashback: Google needs a new CEO, but dumping Sundar Pichai is not enough.