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Sundar Pichai is the CEO of Google and its parent company, Alphabet. He is known for his creativity and leadership in developing key products such as the Google Toolbar and Google Chrome. Pichai also played a major role in launching the Android operating system, which significantly impacted the mobile industry. As a board member of Alphabet, he helps shape the company's strategic direction. He has testified before Congress on Google’s data collection practices, further establishing his position as a leader in technology innovation.
Sundar Pichai was born on June 10, 1972, in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India. His father, Regunatha Pichai, was an electrical engineer, and his mother, Lakshmi, worked as a stenographer. Pichai has dual citizenship—Indian and American. He is married to Anjali Pichai, whom he met at IIT Kharagpur. They have two children, Kiran and Kavya.
Pichai grew up in Madurai and attended Jawahar Vidyalaya Senior Secondary School and Vana Vani School in Chennai. He earned a degree in metallurgical engineering from IIT Kharagpur. He then went on to complete a master’s degree in materials science and engineering at Stanford University. Pichai also holds an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he was recognized as a Siebel Scholar and a Palmer Scholar.
Sundar Pichai joined Google in 2004 as a product manager. He initially worked on the Google Toolbar and later led the development of Google Chrome, which launched in 2008. In 2012, Pichai was promoted to Senior Vice President of Product Development. By 2014, he became the head of Google’s products, including Android. Pichai was courted by Twitter in 2011 and was also considered for the CEO role at Microsoft in 2014 but chose to stay at Google. He played a key role in Google’s $3.2 billion acquisition of Nest Labs in 2014. In 2015, when Google restructured into Alphabet, Pichai was named the CEO of Google. In December 2019, he became the CEO of Alphabet.
Sundar Pichai has led Google’s efforts in artificial intelligence (AI). In April 2024, he highlighted the company’s focus on expanding AI across its products, including search, cloud, and developer tools. Google aims to make AI accessible and responsible. In February 2024, Google and DeepMind released Gemma, a new set of AI models for developers. These models can be fine-tuned for tasks like chatbots and summarization.
Pichai has also overseen major AI developments. In 2023, Alphabet launched the Gemini AI model, which outperformed human experts on the MMLU benchmark. In May 2023, Google released PaLM 2, an advanced model for natural language processing. Pichai has consistently pushed for responsible AI practices, addressing issues like data protection and ethical design.
As of June 2024, Sundar Pichai’s estimated net worth is $1.68 billion. He owns more than $340 million in Alphabet shares and has earned over $280 million annually as the CEO. Pichai has sold more than $1 billion worth of Alphabet stock over the years. He has played a crucial role in expanding Alphabet’s business and AI initiatives.
Sundar Pichai has faced several controversies during his tenure as CEO. In 2024, Google laid off 28 employees who protested the company’s cloud computing contract with the Israeli government. Pichai clarified that the layoffs were unrelated to the protests.
Analysts urged Pichai to resign in 2024 after backlash over the AI chatbot Gemini, which was criticized for generating biased and inaccurate images. Pichai admitted the flaws and paused the tool for improvements.
In 2023, Pichai faced criticism for his $226 million pay raise amid layoffs at Google. Employees questioned the gap between his compensation and their stagnant wages. Pichai acknowledged the concerns but emphasized the need for leadership during difficult times.
India fined Google $113 million for anti-competitive practices in 2022. This fine added to ongoing regulatory scrutiny of the company. Pichai has faced pressure to address concerns and make changes to Google’s operations.
Sundar Pichai has shaped Google into a leader in technology and AI. Despite facing challenges and controversies, his leadership has driven significant innovation and growth at Google and Alphabet. He remains a key figure in the global tech industry, with a vision for AI that balances progress with responsibility.
