When the lad with a quiet demeanor Pichai Sundararajan, a.k,a Sundar Pichai joined Google in 2004 as a humble product manager, a few would had guessed that ten years down the line he would head the very company as its CEO.
The 43-year-old’s rise to the top has been rather quiet, much like his personality. Pichai went to work for Google in 2004 as a product manager. By 2009, he had risen from the ranks of a Vice-President to a Senior President, guiding Google Chrome to glory on his way to the top. Chrome’s phenomenal growth has been largely attributed to Pichai. Following this he was made the head of Android, and was assigned the job of looking after the Google apps; including Gmail, Google Maps and Google Drive.
Confirming his faith in Pichai, Larry Page stated that, “Sundar has been saying the things I would have said (and sometimes better!) for quite some time now” and added that he and Brin were “super excited about his progress and dedication to the company.”
Pichai made his first public demostration on 19 November 2009, when he showcased Chrome OS and the Chromebook. Pichai was also touted to be one of the top contendors to take over the position of CEO at Microsoft, untill his fellow countrymen, Satya Nadella became its Chief Executive.
Sundar Pichai, also serves as a Member of Board of Advisors at Ruba. Previously he helmed the role of the Director at Jive Software from April 2011 to 30 July 2013.
After being appointed as the Product Chief by Larry Page on 24 October, 2014, Pichai was formally announced as the next CEO of Google on the 10 of August. Pichai will be replacing none other than Page himself as the CEO of Google, when the latter will take over as the CEO of new parent company Alphabet Inc, upon the completion of all the formalities.
Born in Chennai, Pichai did his Bachelor of Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur in Metallurgical Engineering. He later went on do his Masters from Stanford University in Material Sciences and Engineering, completing his education with an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he was named a Siebel and a Palmer Scholar. Before joining Google, Pichai worked in engineering and product management division at Applied Materials and later moving to management consulting at McKinsey and Company.
As he heads the search engine giant, an elated Pichai described his plans for the future as follows, “For me, it matters that we drive technology as an equalising force, as an enabler for everyone around the world. Which is why I do want Google to see, push, and invest more in making sure computing is more accessible, connectivity is more accessible.”
Pichai will however face the tough task of overseeing Google’s difficult relationship with Samsung Electronics, the top Android smartphone maker. He is also faced with the challenge of outcompeting Apple’s forey into music services and in wearable devices.
The Wall Street, has in fact favoured Google’s new appointment with the stocks heading up as much as 7 percent in after-hours trading post the Alphabet announcement.
