Evernote appoints Google X research unit head Chris O'Neill as CEO

US-based software services company Evernote's co-founder and chairman Phil Libin on Tuesday said the firm was appointing Google X research unit head Chris O'Neill as its chief executive.

The chairman himself was the chief executive officer (CEO) before deciding to step down. Libin said in a blog post that he wanted to relinquish the office of CEO as he was not passionate about the job.

"Today, Evernote has 150 million users worldwide. Each of these individuals is raising their hand, looking for a different way to get work done. The need is massive. Evernote's potential is enormous. We have proven the potential. Now we have to fulfill it," Libin said in a blog post.

"We have been looking for the perfect CEO to build such a company, to assemble and motivate a team of (eventually) thousands of hyper-talented people, to lead at scale. We have found such a person in Chris," he added.

Chris O'Neill joins Evernote following almost 10 years in leadership roles at Google. Earlier, he had led Google Canada, where he was responsible for all aspects of the company's operations.

Currently, Evernote, which is reported to be worth $1 billion, is one of the most popular note-taking and work collaboration apps.

It has over 150 million users worldwide, with more than 20,000 companies using its premium business product.