Sundar Pichai: The Google CEO Transforming Technology and Innovation

Pichai Sundararajan, or Sundar Pichai, is an American executive and is the CEO of Alphabet Inc. and its famous subsidiary Google. He began his career as a management consultant at McKinsey & Co. and joined Google in 2004. 

He was in charge of the product management and innovation efforts section for Google’s client software products. This included Google Chrome, ChromeOS, and Google Drive. In 2010, he announced the open-sourcing of the new video codec VP8 by Google and the new video format, WebM. 

In 2015, Pichai became the next CEO of Google and stepped into the new position after completing the formation of Alphabet Inc., the latest holding for Google’s family. In 2017, he was appointed to the Board of Directors in Alphabet Inc.      

Sundar Pichai - Biography

Sundar Pichai - Early Life and Education
Sundar Pichai - Career Highlights
Sundar Pichai - Controversies
Sundar Pichai - Philanthropy
Sundar Pichai- Personal Life
Sundar Pichai - Awards and Recognition
Sundar Pichai - Facts

Sundar Pichai - Early Life and Education 

Sundar was born on 10th June 1972, in the city of Madhurai, India, into a Hindu Tamil Brahmin family. His father, Regunatha Pichai, was an electrical engineer for GEC, the British conglomerate, and his mother, Lakshmi Pichai, was a stenographer. 

Sundar did his schooling at Jawahar Vidyalaya Senior Secondary School in Chennai and then at Vana Vani School for Class XII. He went on to study metallurgical engineering at IIT Kharagpur and went on to do his Master's from Stanford University in material science and engineering. He then completed his MBA from Wharton School from the University of Pennsylvania, and he was a Siebel Scholar and Palmer Scholar as well. 

Sundar Pichai - Career Highlights

Sundar started his career in engineering and product management at Applied Materials and Management consulting at McKinsey & Company. He then joined Google in 2004, where he was the leader of product management and innovation for their client software products such as Google Chrome, ChromeOS, and Google Drive. He moved on to head the development of other applications such as Google Maps and Gmail. 

In 2009, he gave a demonstration of ChromeOS and then released the Chromebook in 2012. In 2013, Pichai added Android to the list of products that Google oversaw. In 2015, he was selected to become the next CEO, and once Alphabet Inc. was formed, he stepped into the new position. 

Sundar was the initial brains behind Google’s infamous search toolbar. The toolbar was one of the biggest reasons for the increase in user searches, but it merged with Google Chrome. Chrome went on to become one of the most-used web browsers in the world. He also worked on other Google Products, such as Google Pack and Google Gear. He is on the Board of Advisors at Ruba Inc. and headed the Jiva Software (2011-2013).  

In 2014, Sundar was suggested to be a strong contender for Microsoft’s CEO 2014, but that position went to Satya Nadella. In 2019, Sundar became the CEO of Alphabet, Inc., and his compensation was over $200 million in 2022. 

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Sundar Pichai - Controversies

Sundar has been involved in multiple controversies over the years. 

In 2017, he was criticized for firing a Google employee who wrote a 10-page manifesto criticizing the company’s pro-diversity policy. In the same year, he was a speaker at the World Internet Conference in China where he commented that Google works to help Chinese small and medium businesses to get their products to countries outside China. 

In 2018, Sundar was called and questioned by the United States House Judiciary Committee on a wide range of Google-related issues, such as political bias on Google’s platforms, the company’s plans or censored search apps in China, and their privacy policies. As a response, Sundar commented that Google cannot influence search results and they do not have any plans for censoring searches in China. 

In 2024, Google fired 28 employees who protested against Project Nimbus. As per Sundar the office is not the place to fight against disruptive issues and warned the present employees from using the brand as a personal platform. 

2025 saw Google issue a response to Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s cease DEI initiatives by removing their annual cultural events such as Pride Month, Black History Month, and Holocaust Remembrance Day. 

Sundar Pichai - Philanthropy

Sundar was responsible for some of Google’s philanthropic initiatives. He was responsible for participating in charitable endeavours to solve societal issues and advance global development. He helped set up Google’s charitable division, Google.org, which is actively engaged in multiple projects to use technology to solve urgent global issues. 

Google for Education is another program that provides instructors and students all over the world with free resources, tools, and training opportunities.   

Under his direction, Google has made a commitment to make more sustainable objectives, such as going carbon zero and running their offices on renewable energy altogether. He is also a big advocate for digital inclusiveness and has worked on projects to narrow the gap.  

In 2021, Sundar was devastated to see the state of India and pledged the assistance of INR 135 Crore to Give India and UNICEF to be used for medical supplies and help spread critical information. 

Sundar Pichai - Awards and Recognition

Sundar was in the Times’ Annual List of the 100 most influential people in 2016 and 2020. He was also a part of the Time 100 AI list in 2024. In 2022, he received the Padma Bhushan from the Indian Government for the Trade and Industry segment. 

Sundar Pichai- Personal Life

Sundar is married to Anjali Pichai (nee Haryani), and they have two children. Anjali is from Kota, India, and they studied at IIT Kharagpur together. He is interested in football, cricket, chess, sketching, and watching Bollywood movies. He currently lives in Los Altos Hills, California. Sundar maintains a low profile and prefers keeping his family out of the limelight.

Sundar Pichai - Facts

• Sundar has multiple degrees - a BTech in metallurgical design from IIT Kharagpur, a Master of Science from Stanford University, and an MBA from Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. 
• He loves playing soccer and cricket and loves watching F.R.I.E.N.D.S. 
• In 2014, Sundar was a major contender for Microsoft CEO, but Satya Nadella was chosen. 
• Sundar and Anjali are college sweethearts who met in the first year of their college. 
• He has an exceptional memory and can recollect all phone numbers he has ever dialled. 
• They have a cute pet dog, Jeffree. 

FAQs

When did Sundar Pichai join Google as a manager?

Sundar Pichai joined Google in 2004 as the head of product management and development.

Is Sundar Pichai an entrepreneur?

No, Sundar Pichai is the CEO of Alphabet and Google.

Did Sundar Pichai invent Chrome?

No, Sundar Pichai didn't invent Chrome but he was actively involved in the development of Chrome.

What did Sundar Pichai study?

Sundar Pichai studied at IIT Kharagpur and earned a degree in metallurgical engineering.

Who is the CEO of Google?

Sundar Pichai is the CEO of Google since 2015.