Time: 2024-06-27
Sundar Pichai, the current CEO of Google and its parent company Alphabet Inc., has had quite a remarkable journey to the top. Born and raised in Chennai, India, Pichai is an IIT Kharagpur graduate who later completed his M.S. from Stanford University and MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. His father, Regunatha Pichai, an electrical engineer, played a significant role in shaping Pichai's early years.
Throughout his career, Pichai has been a highly sought-after tech executive, with companies like Twitter and Microsoft vying for his leadership. In 2011, Twitter made an aggressive move to recruit Pichai as its head of product, offering him a lucrative deal that Google fought hard to counter. Google reportedly paid Pichai as much as $150 million in stock grants to retain him and another key employee, Neal Mohan.
In 2014, Pichai was also rumored to be in serious contention for the CEO position at Microsoft, which eventually went to Satya Nadella. Despite the tempting offers from other tech giants, Pichai remained loyal to Google, where he had been working since 2004. His dedication and leadership eventually led to his appointment as Google CEO in 2019 and later Alphabet CEO in 2019.
Sundar Pichai is not only a respected tech executive but also the highest-paid Indian CEO in the world. His compensation in 2022 amounted to a whopping 226 million dollars, with a significant portion coming from stock grants. According to the Hurun List, his net worth in 2022 was estimated to be 1310 million dollars or Rs 10215 crore.
Pichai's contributions to Google, including the development of Google Chrome and the Android operating system, have been instrumental in the company's success. His leadership has helped Google become one of the biggest tech companies in the world, with a massive market cap of 2.28 trillion dollars. In recognition of his achievements, Pichai was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian award, in the category of Trade and Industry.
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