I wouldn't really call it "incredibly subtle" - most similar announcements are wrapped in a bunch of corporate language as well. This is a pretty standard way to announce this sort of thing.
I mean, neither of them even tried the ol' "I'm stepping down to spend time with my family" thing.
[0] https://www.cnbc.com/2018/09/13/alphabets-larry-page-has-lar...
It looks like an attempt to try to distance themselves, their personal images, and their assets before it gets too ugly. I would certainly do so unless my personal financial analysts told me otherwise.
At least at the operational level. I'm sure Sundar has had much contact with them. But regular Googlers certainly have not.
They typically take years, often over a decade. I'm talking about the entire process, not just the litigation (which is the easiest and fastest part). With Microsoft, it took 19 years from start to end.