Name: Sundar Pichai
Net worth: Approx. $1.3 billion Executive pay: $226 million
Company: Alphabet Inc
Bio: Sundar Pichai, born on June 10, 1972, is a prominent Indian-American business leader. He currently serves as the CEO of Alphabet Inc. and its subsidiary, Google. At an early age Pichai displayed an interest in technology and an extraordinary memory, especially for telephone numbers. Pichai commenced his professional journey as a materials engineer. After a brief period at the management consulting company McKinsey & Co., Pichai became a part of Google in 2004. In his role, he spearheaded the product management and innovation initiatives for various client software products of Google, such as Google Chrome, ChromeOS, and played a significant role in the development of Google Drive.
Pichai hails from Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India, born into a Tamil Brahmin family. His mother, Lakshmi, worked as a stenographer, while his father, Regunatha Pichai, was an electrical engineer at GEC, the British conglomerate. He attended Jawahar Vidyalaya Senior Secondary School in Ashok Nagar, Chennai, and completed Class XII at Vana Vani school at IIT Madras. Pichai obtained his degree in metallurgical engineering from IIT Kharagpur and is recognized as a distinguished alumnus of the institution. Additionally, he holds an M.S. in materials science and engineering from Stanford University, as well as an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he was honored as a Siebel Scholar and a Palmer Scholar.
He earned an M.S. in materials science and engineering from Stanford University, and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he was recognized as a Siebel Scholar and a Palmer Scholar.
In December of 2019, Pichai assumed the role of CEO at Alphabet Inc. His earnings from the corporation exceeded $200 million in 2022, a figure that drew criticism from numerous employees due to the significant layoffs carried out by Google in 2023.
In October, Sundar Pichai celebrated a major milestone as Google’s Quantum AI researchers won the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics, underscoring the company’s growing influence in deep tech and scientific innovation. His net worth now stands at around $1.1 billion, buoyed by Alphabet’s strong market performance. Meanwhile, Google made headlines for introducing a new AI-driven health benefits tool for U.S. employees, sparking internal privacy debates—showing that under Pichai’s leadership, Google continues to push technological boundaries while navigating the complexities of AI and data ethics.
Quote: "Wear your failure as a badge of honour." "If you don't fail sometimes, you are not being ambitious enough." - Sundar Pichai
