Megha
| Full name | Pichai Sundararajan |
| DOB | 10 June 1972 |
| Place of Birth | Madurai |
| Age | 51 |
| Nationality | American |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Sex | Male |
Who is Sundar Pichai?
Sundar Pichai, born on June 10, 1972, is an Indian-American business executive. He is widely known as Sundar Pichai. He is the CEO of Google, one of the world’s biggest internet companies. Pichai was born in India and studied engineering. He joined Google in 2004 and helped develop products like Chrome and Android. His work impressed Google’s leaders, leading to his promotion to CEO in 2015. As CEO, he oversees Google’s operations and makes important decisions for the company. Pichai is known for his leadership skills and vision, driving Google’s growth and innovation. He’s a well-respected figure in the tech industry, guiding Google’s efforts to make technology more accessible and useful.
Sundar Pichai played a crucial role in convincing Google’s co-founders, Sergey Brin and Larry Page, to create Google’s own web browser. He was instrumental in launching Google Chrome in 2008, which went on to surpass competitors like Firefox and Internet Explorer to become the world’s most popular browser. This success catapulted Sundar Pichai to international fame. After 11 years at Google, he was appointed as the company’s CEO on August 10, 2015. In the same year, Alphabet Inc. was established as the parent company of Google. In February 2016, Pichai received 273,328 shares of Alphabet, the holding company of Google. Eventually, on December 3, 2019, he was named the CEO of Alphabet Inc.
Early Life and Education
Born on 10th June 1972, Pichai is currently fifty-one years old. Originally from Tamil Nadu, he was born in Chennai, which was known as Madras back then. His father, Raghunath Pichai, was an engineer, and his mother, Lakshmi, worked as a stenographer. Pichai’s father was employed in an English company and also owned a manufacturing plant for electrical components. They lived in a two-room apartment in Chennai’s Ashok Nagar area. Pichai comes from a Hindu family, and his upbringing was rooted in Hindu traditions. Sundar Pichai was born in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India, into a Tamil-speaking family. His mother, Lakshmi, worked as a stenographer, and his father, Regunatha Pichai, was an electrical engineer at a British conglomerate called GEC. His father also had a manufacturing plant that made electrical components. Pichai attended Jawahar Vidyalaya Senior Secondary School in Ashok Nagar, Chennai, and completed his Class XII from Vana Vani School at IIT Madras. Later, he pursued a degree in metallurgical engineering from IIT Kharagpur, and he is considered a distinguished alumnus of that institution. Afterward, he furthered his studies and received an M.S. in materials science and engineering from Stanford University and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. During his time at Wharton, he was honored as a Siebel Scholar and a Palmer Scholar. From an early age, Sundar Pichai displayed a keen interest in technology, particularly electrical items like telephones and refrigerators. People were amazed by his remarkable ability to remember a wide range of phone numbers. He completed his Class XII at IIT Madras after graduating from Vana Vani School. Later, he pursued and earned a B.Tech in Metallurgical Engineering from IIT Kharagpur. Continuing his education, he obtained an M.S. in materials science and design from Stanford University and an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, where he received recognition as a Siebel Scholar and a Palmer Scholar.
Receiving a silver award-winning scholarship was a significant turning point in Sundar Pichai’s education as it enabled him to attend the prestigious Stanford University, his dream school. After completing his master’s degree, he was enthusiastic about pursuing a Ph.D. from Stanford on a similar topic. However, he later decided to drop out of the Ph.D. program and instead started his career as a Product Manager and Engineer in the field of Applied Materials.
Pichai’s career began as a materials engineer, and in 2004, he joined Google. Over the next 11 years, he steadily climbed the ranks and eventually became the CEO of the company. When Pichai was a young boy living in Madras, he shared a small living room with his brother in their cramped family home. However, his father, who worked as an electrical engineer at the British multinational GEC, made sure that the boys received a good education. Even at a young age, Pichai showed a fascination with technology and had an exceptional memory, particularly when it came to remembering telephone numbers. During his childhood, Pichai had a dream of becoming a cricketer and looked up to the legendary Sunil Gavaskar as his idol. He is an avid admirer of the football team Fanclub Barcelona and the football star Lionel Messi.
Pichai is happily married to Anjali Pichai, who holds the position of Business Operation Manager at Intuit, a Software Company. Their marriage was a result of love, and they initially dated in India. Together, they have two children named Kavya Pichai and Lakshmi Pichai. Pichai has honed a remarkable skill of maintaining stability and calmness in challenging situations, both in politics and in dealing with troublesome matters. He has successfully applied this technique to his team as well, ensuring a harmonious work environment. Notably, Microsoft recognized Pichai’s talents and offered him an enticing opportunity to join their company. Some reports indicate that they proposed a remarkable $50 million offer to him.
Career History
Pichai’s career journey included roles in engineering and product management at Applied Materials and management consulting at McKinsey & Company. In 2004, he joined Google and took charge of product management and innovation for several client software products, including Google Chrome, ChromeOS, and Google Drive. He also played a significant role in the development of applications like Gmail and Google Maps. Pichai demonstrated ChromeOS in 2009, and the Chromebook was later released for testing in 2011 and made available to the public in 2012. In 2010, he announced the open-sourcing of the video codec VP8 and introduced the new video format, WebM. Additionally, in 2013, Pichai took on the oversight of Android, which was previously managed by Andy Rubin. During his career, he also served as a director of Jive Software. In August 2015, Pichai was selected to become the CEO of Google, having previously been appointed as Product Chief by the then-CEO Larry Page. He officially assumed the role of CEO on October 24, 2015, coinciding with the establishment of Alphabet Inc. as the new holding company for the Google company family.
In 2014, there were suggestions that Pichai could be considered for the CEO position at Microsoft, but the role ultimately went to Satya Nadella. In August 2017, Pichai received media attention for terminating a Google employee who authored a lengthy manifesto criticizing the company’s diversity policies. During the same year, in December 2017, Pichai participated as a speaker at the World Internet Conference in China. During his speech, he highlighted that Google’s efforts included assisting Chinese companies, particularly small and medium-sized businesses, in expanding their products to international markets outside of China. In December 2019, Pichai took on the role of CEO at Alphabet Inc., the parent company of Google. His compensation from the company exceeded $200 million in the year 2022.
His Success at Google
Sundar Pichai’s interview at Google happened to align with the launch of Google Gmail. Interestingly, he was unaware of this new product and honestly admitted his lack of knowledge during the interviews. This quality of “intellectual humility” impressed Laszlo Bock, who was the former senior VP of people operations at Google. He considered this trait as one of the top qualities he sought in candidates for the company. Despite being well-prepared for the interview, Pichai handled the dynamic situation with honesty and openness when faced with uncertainty about the newly launched Gmail. On April 1, 2004, Sundar Pichai started working at Google as the vice president of product management. His main responsibilities included developing Google Toolbar and Google Chrome, which eventually became the most popular internet browser worldwide. In 2011, Pichai introduced Chrome OS and Chromebook. He took charge of the Android operating system in 2013 and by 2014, he was leading all products and engineering at Google. In this role, Pichai oversaw various key Google products and platforms, such as Search, Maps, Play, Android, Chrome, Gmail, and Google Workspace. In the tech industry, there were rumors suggesting that Sundar Pichai was a strong contender for the CEO position at Microsoft, but ultimately, Satya Nadella secured the role. In August 2015, Google underwent a reorganization and became Alphabet. During this restructuring, Sundar Pichai was chosen as the CEO of Google. Later, in July 2017, he also joined the board of directors at Alphabet. Under Pichai’s leadership, Google has been investing in various new opportunities, such as Google Cloud and YouTube. The company is also actively involved in research and development of cutting-edge technologies, including machine learning and quantum computing.
In 2021, Sundar Pichai expressed his belief that artificial intelligence (AI) would have a profound impact on society. He stated that AI, which involves machines being programmed to imitate human thinking and actions to solve problems, would be even more influential than many recent groundbreaking developments. Pichai emphasized that AI has the potential to significantly enhance human productivity beyond what we could have imagined. According to Pichai, AI is expected to play a fundamental role in various aspects of our lives. It will mimic human tasks and activities across different domains, ranging from healthcare and education to manufacturing processes and how we access and consume information. He envisions AI as a transformative force that will shape the future, making our lives more efficient and advancing numerous industries and fields. During his tenure as the head of Google, Sundar Pichai faced scrutiny from Congress. In December 2018, he appeared before the Judiciary Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives to address various concerns, including data collection practices, security measures, potential algorithm bias, and the possibility of launching a censored search engine in China. In December 2019, Pichai took on an even more significant role as he became the CEO of both Google and Alphabet, taking over from Larry Page. Google’s co-founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, along with former CEO Eric Schmidt, were instrumental in transforming the company from a university project into one of the most successful and influential companies in the world. In 2021, Alphabet, the parent company of Google, achieved a significant milestone by crossing $2 trillion in market value. This remarkable growth was attributed to the increase in sales and profits during the COVID-19 pandemic. While several other tech giants were focusing on the metaverse as the next big area of growth, Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Google and Alphabet, had a different vision for the company’s future.
Pichai believes that Google’s foundation lies in its oldest offering, the Internet search. He envisions a future where consumers will interact with computers through voice commands and multimodal experiences, asking more questions to receive information and assistance. Rather than fully embracing the metaverse like some competitors, Pichai sees Google’s growth potential in enhancing and expanding its Internet search capabilities to cater to users’ evolving needs and preferences.
Sundar Pichai on the Biggest Challenge with AI
In a conversation with popular YouTuber Arun Maini, also known as “Mrwhosetheboss,” Google CEO Sundar Pichai discussed the future of artificial intelligence (AI) and its impact on smartphones. Pichai emphasized the importance of striking a balance between the rapid advancements in AI and allowing society the necessary time to adapt to these changes. He highlighted the democratization of AI, which means making this technology accessible to people worldwide. Pichai saw this as a positive development. However, he acknowledged that the pace of change in AI is incredibly fast, which can create challenges for society to keep up with these advancements. Pichai recognized the need to give society sufficient time to adapt to the changes brought about by AI. He expressed that managing the tension between making progress in AI and allowing society to adjust to these advancements is essential. By doing so, AI can benefit everyone in the world while ensuring that the impact is handled responsibly and thoughtfully.
During a candid conversation with popular YouTuber Arun Maini, Google CEO Sundar Pichai shared his insightful thoughts on the importance of finding a balance between rapid AI advancements and giving society time to adapt. In addition, Pichai addressed a question that intrigued tech enthusiasts—whether he himself uses the innovative Pixel Fold. Confirming the speculations, Pichai revealed that he extensively tested the Pixel Fold and is familiar with the device. However, he also disclosed that the Pixel Fold is not his exclusive smartphone choice. As the CEO of Google, Pichai uses a Pixel 7 Pro as his primary device while also exploring other technologies by having a Samsung Galaxy device and an iPhone for testing purposes. This diverse mix of smartphones highlights Pichai’s curiosity and commitment to exploring various technological innovations. The recent YouTube interview featuring Sundar Pichai and Arun Maini has gained significant attention since it was uploaded three days ago, with an impressive 2.8 million views so far. Viewers have expressed admiration for the interaction between the two prominent figures, praising Pichai’s humility during the conversation. In other news, Google Bard, an AI chatbot developed by Google, was finally launched in India earlier this month. Interested users can now access the chatbot through the official Google Bard website. During Google I/O 2023, the search giant announced its plans to expand the availability of the chatbot to more than 180 countries, including India. With Google Bard’s launch, it enters the competitive AI chatbot space, directly competing with OpenAI’s ChatGPT, showcasing the intense rivalry in this technological field.
Awards and Recognition
Sundar Pichai joined Google in 2004 and quickly rose through the ranks, becoming Vice President of Product Management by August 2007. In 2009, he introduced Chrome OS, an operating system that allows users to do everything online without needing software or a hard drive on their computers. Aside from his work at Google, Pichai is also a co-founder of Jaiku, an open-source microblogging application. His achievements and influence in the business world earned him recognition as one of the most powerful individuals in business by Forbes in 2017. Furthermore, Pichai has received numerous prestigious awards, including the World Economic Forum’s Top 100 Global Thought Leaders Award, The Webby Awards’ Digital Visionary Award, Variety’s Visionary Award, Tony Robbins’ Game Changer Award, Consumer Technology Association’s Excellence in Innovation Award, CNBC’s Tech Titan Award, and NDTV Profit’s Man of the Year in Business Leadership Award. In recognition of his outstanding contributions, the Government of India honored Pichai with the Padma Bhushan in 2022, which is the country’s third-highest civilian honor.
Net Worth
As of April 10, 2023, reports suggest that Sundar Pichai’s estimated net worth is approximately $1310 million, which is equivalent to around Rs. 10,810 crores in Indian Rupees.
Controversies
Sundar Pichai Apologises As Controversy Over Firing Google’s Top AI Researcher Flares Up Questions Of Racism
Sundar Pichai issued an apology to the company’s staff and initiated an investigation concerning the dismissal of prominent AI researcher Timnit Gebru. The investigation was launched in response to media reports indicating that Dr. Gebru was fired after sending an email criticizing the company’s lack of progress in hiring women and minorities and uncovering biases in its AI technology. Dr. Gebru also revealed that she had questioned the company about why they asked her to retract a paper that identified flaws in new language technology, including one used by Google in its search engine. Pichai’s apology and the investigation aim to address the concerns raised by Dr. Gebru and ensure a transparent and fair assessment of the situation. Last week, on Twitter, Dr. Timnit Gebru revealed that she was abruptly fired from Google, and she specifically mentioned being fired by Jeff Dean for her email to Brain Women and Allies. This happened while the team was actively involved in research, in which she played a significant role. Her departure from Google has raised two important issues – the lack of diversity in the company’s workforce and concerns about the potential risks associated with artificial intelligence technology. A heated meeting took place with the Black Googler Network where attendees expressed doubts about their trust in Google and their support for its AI work. Jeff Dean, a high-ranking executive responsible for the company’s AI research, met with employees to explain the situation with Dr. Gebru, but many left the meeting feeling even more upset.
The controversy surrounding Dr. Gebru’s firing has sparked outrage on social media, leading current and former Google employees to sign a petition demanding more transparency and an explanation. They believe that the real reason for her dismissal was her outspoken criticism of Google’s progress in improving conditions for people of color within the company. The situation has brought attention to the need for greater diversity and inclusion in tech companies and has raised important discussions about the ethical use of artificial intelligence technology. The situation escalated to a point where Pichai had to apologize. In an email to the staff, he acknowledged the need to take responsibility for the departure of a talented and prominent Black female leader, Dr. Gebru, who left Google unhappily. Pichai stated that they must assess the circumstances surrounding her departure to identify areas where improvements could have been made and ensure a more respectful process. However, Pichai did not address the specific reasons for her firing, as alleged by Dr. Gebru on social media.
U.S. Congressional Testimony
On December 11, 2018, Sundar Pichai appeared before the United States House Judiciary Committee, where he was questioned about various Google-related issues. These included concerns about possible political bias on Google’s platforms, allegations of plans for a “censored search app” in China, and the company’s privacy practices. In response, Pichai assured the committee that Google employees do not influence search results. He also mentioned that Google users have the option to choose not to have their data collected and clarified that there were no current plans for a censored search engine in China. In October 2020, the United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation unanimously voted in favor of subpoenaing Pichai, along with Mark Zuckerberg (CEO of Facebook, now Meta) and Jack Dorsey (then CEO of Twitter). This was in response to lawmakers’ concerns regarding the technology industry’s exemption from Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1934.
