Personified: 10 things to know about Google CEO Sundar Pichai
Sundar Pichai is a name that arguably needs no introduction. The much-loved CEO of Google has become a household name in the country. Pichai turns 45 today, and on his birthday, we bring to you 10 lesser-known facts about him:
1.
Had a modest upbringing
Sunder Pichai, whose full name is actually Pichai Sundararajan, spent his childhood days in Chennai. His father was an electrical engineer and his mother was a stenographer and had a typical middle-class upbringing.
2.
Known to be a mnemonist
Since childhood, Pichai is known for his excellent memorising skills. It has been reported that his family came to know of his talent when he could remember every phone number that he dialed on their rotary phone.
3.
Captained his high school cricket team
When Pichai came to India in 2015, he played a game of cricket in New Delhi. Pichai, who attended Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan in Chennai, was the captain of his high-school team. In a chat with cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle, Pichai admitted not taking a fancy to T20 cricket.
4.
Holds a degree in engineering and double masters
Pichai’s love for technology made him pursue engineering as a career choice. After finishing his school education, he earned a bachelor of engineering degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. He also holds an MS degree from Stanford and an MBA from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.
5.
Life before Google
Prior to joining Google, Pichai worked at Applied Materials and McKinsey & Company.
6.
Joined Google in 2004
Sundar Pichai was interviewed by Google on April Fools’ Day in 2004 – a landmark day for the company as it launched Gmail on the same day. He has reportedly admitted that he initially thought that Gmail was one of Google’s prank for April Fools’ Day.
He joined Google to lead product management for Google Chrome and Chrome OS. He was also involved with Google Drive, Gmail and Google Maps.
He joined Google to lead product management for Google Chrome and Chrome OS. He was also involved with Google Drive, Gmail and Google Maps.
7.
Took over Android in 2013
In 2013, Sundar Pichai took over Android founder Andy Rubin's portfolio. In 2014, Pichai’s pet project, ‘Android One’ was launched in India. The idea behind the project was to provide affordable smartphones across the globe.
8.
Became Larry Page’s ‘second in command’ in 2014
After making a mark at various projects with Google – including Chrome, Apps, Android – Pichai was handpicked by Larry Page to oversee most of the company’s product areas. Search, Maps, Google+, commerce and ads, and infrastructure were added to Pichai’s ever-expanding portfolio at Google.
9.
Excellent man manager
Pichai has been described as soft-spoken, little-known and a long-term right hand man to mentor Larry Page. Pichai demonstrated devotion to his team while working under Marissa Mayer, who then was a key executive at Google. According to The Information's Amir Efrati, Pichai "used to wait for hours outside her office to make sure that she gave his team solid work-performance scores."
In addition to his team management skills, Efrati notes that Pichai has also been known to throw his weight around when necessary. At this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Pichai reportedly "told Samsung's mobile-products leader that Google was willing to 'walk away' from its enormous phone partnership with the company."
In addition to his team management skills, Efrati notes that Pichai has also been known to throw his weight around when necessary. At this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Pichai reportedly "told Samsung's mobile-products leader that Google was willing to 'walk away' from its enormous phone partnership with the company."
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