IITian Sundar Pichai Becomes CEO of Google

[Chanakyaa]

WASHINGTON: India-born Sundar Pichai was named CEO of Google on Tuesday by the company's founders Larry Page and Sergei Brin in course of a re-organization that created a mother company called Alphabet.

Pichai, 43, a Chennai native who went to IIT Kharagpur and later to Stanford and Wharton, will take charge of a slimmed down Google (quickly dubbed Google Minus) that Larry Page said will be stripped of companies "that are pretty far afield of our main Internet products," which will all go into Alphabet. Page will be CEO of Alphabet.

The new mother company will include, besides Google, units such as Calico (which focuses on Longevity), X lab (which incubates new efforts like Wing, Google's drone delivery effort) and units dealing with life sciences (such as the one working on smart contact lens that detects blood sugar level). Google's investment arms, Ventures and Capital, will also be part of Alphabet.

"We've long believed that over time companies tend to get comfortable doing the same thing, just making incremental changes. But in the technology industry, where revolutionary ideas drive the next big growth areas, you need to be a bit uncomfortable to stay relevant," Page said in a blog explaining the rational for the restructuring, adding that the "new structure will allow us to keep tremendous focus on the extraordinary opportunities we have inside of Google."

READ ALSO:
Sundar Pichai: The little-known new chief of Google

Still, Google will remain the biggest piece of Alphabet. Explaining Pichai's elevation, Page said he (Pichai) has really stepped up since October of last year, when he took on product and engineering responsibility for Google's Internet businesses.

"Sergey (Brin) and I have been super excited about his progress and dedication to the company. And it is clear to us and our board that it is time for Sundar to be CEO of Google. I feel very fortunate to have someone as talented as he is to run the slightly slimmed down Google and this frees up time for me to continue to scale our aspirations," he wrote.

He said he has been "spending quite a bit of time with Sundar, helping him and the company in any way I can, and I will of course continue to do that."

READ ALSO:
How Google plans to retain its edge in mobile search

A straight elevation for Pichai would have meant that two of the world's five largest companies by marketcap are headed by executives of Indian-origin -- Pichai at Google which is ranked #4, and Microsoft, which is ranked # 5, is helmed by Satya Nadella.

But it won't be so straightforward. Page explained that Alphabet Inc. will replace Google Inc. as the publicly-traded entity and all shares of Google will automatically convert into the same number of shares of Alphabet, with all of the same rights. Google will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Alphabet, which he (Page) will helm. The company's two classes of shares will continue to trade on Nasdaq as GOOGL and GOOG.

Still, the elevation is a milestone for Indian-origin CEOs, of whom there are at least half dozen in Fortune 500 companies, including Indra Nooyi at Pepsi, Ajay Banga at Mastercard, and Sanjay Mehrotra at SanDisk. There is a good chance that the third ranked Berkshire Hathaway too could be headed by a PIO with Ajit Jain strongly tipped to succeed Warren Buffett. Apple and Exxon Mobil are ranked #1 and #2 respectively.

 

[GURU DUTT]

WASHINGTON: India-born Sundar Pichai was named CEO of Google on Tuesday by the company's founders Larry Page and Sergei Brin in course of a re-organization that created a mother company called Alphabet.

Pichai, 43, a Chennai native who went to IIT Kharagpur and later to Stanford and Wharton, will take charge of a slimmed down Google (quickly dubbed Google Minus) that Larry Page said will be stripped of companies "that are pretty far afield of our main Internet products," which will all go into Alphabet. Page will be CEO of Alphabet.

The new mother company will include, besides Google, units such as Calico (which focuses on Longevity), X lab (which incubates new efforts like Wing, Google's drone delivery effort) and units dealing with life sciences (such as the one working on smart contact lens that detects blood sugar level). Google's investment arms, Ventures and Capital, will also be part of Alphabet.

"We've long believed that over time companies tend to get comfortable doing the same thing, just making incremental changes. But in the technology industry, where revolutionary ideas drive the next big growth areas, you need to be a bit uncomfortable to stay relevant," Page said in a blog explaining the rational for the restructuring, adding that the "new structure will allow us to keep tremendous focus on the extraordinary opportunities we have inside of Google."

READ ALSO:
Sundar Pichai: The little-known new chief of Google

Still, Google will remain the biggest piece of Alphabet. Explaining Pichai's elevation, Page said he (Pichai) has really stepped up since October of last year, when he took on product and engineering responsibility for Google's Internet businesses.

"Sergey (Brin) and I have been super excited about his progress and dedication to the company. And it is clear to us and our board that it is time for Sundar to be CEO of Google. I feel very fortunate to have someone as talented as he is to run the slightly slimmed down Google and this frees up time for me to continue to scale our aspirations," he wrote.

He said he has been "spending quite a bit of time with Sundar, helping him and the company in any way I can, and I will of course continue to do that."

READ ALSO:
How Google plans to retain its edge in mobile search

A straight elevation for Pichai would have meant that two of the world's five largest companies by marketcap are headed by executives of Indian-origin -- Pichai at Google which is ranked #4, and Microsoft, which is ranked # 5, is helmed by Satya Nadella.

But it won't be so straightforward. Page explained that Alphabet Inc. will replace Google Inc. as the publicly-traded entity and all shares of Google will automatically convert into the same number of shares of Alphabet, with all of the same rights. Google will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Alphabet, which he (Page) will helm. The company's two classes of shares will continue to trade on Nasdaq as GOOGL and GOOG.

Still, the elevation is a milestone for Indian-origin CEOs, of whom there are at least half dozen in Fortune 500 companies, including Indra Nooyi at Pepsi, Ajay Banga at Mastercard, and Sanjay Mehrotra at SanDisk. There is a good chance that the third ranked Berkshire Hathaway too could be headed by a PIO with Ajit Jain strongly tipped to succeed Warren Buffett. Apple and Exxon Mobil are ranked #1 and #2 respectively.

Great news .... congrats Sundar

 

[Chanakyaa]

So Now, Google & Microsoft , Pepsi are headed by Indians ! whose Next ?

 

[GURU DUTT]

So Now, Google & Microsoft , Pepsi are headed by Indians ! whose Next ?

 

[Chanakyaa]

Bhaiya.. Agar Bobby Jindalwa ban Gaya na president ta u bhu hui jayega.....

 

[GURU DUTT]

Bhaiya.. Agar Bobby Jindalwa ban Gaya na president ta u bhu hui jayega.....

waise lakh yamricanno ka pitthu ho bobby darling... oops i mean bobby jindal akhir hai wo bhi ek baniya aur baniya chahe ya na chahe hindustan ko igonre kabhi nahi ker sakta

 

[Chanakyaa]

AAP jaise Uttam Bhartiya sadasya par agar pratibandh lag jaaye
to woh atyant dukhad baat hogi

Jaani... hum Ban hone se nahi darte.... ( Mark my words , You will know in 30 days time why ... wait till 10th Sep )

 

[Capt.Popeye]

waise lakh yamricanno ka pitthu ho bobby darling... oops i mean bobby jindal akhir hai wo bhi ek baniya aur baniya chahe ya na chahe hindustan ko igonre kabhi nahi ker sakta

Oye.... agar Bobby Darling... sorry Bobby Jindal wahan tak pahunch payega...... toh Amrekion key haal pe rona chahiye yeh hansna chahiye...

 

[Icewolf]

So Indians are thinking these CEOs will put India first before their companies? So if USA (which Microsoft, Pepsi and Google are based in) declares sanctions on India, the Indian CEO will favor India?

How ridiculous lmao... These guys HATE India. Bobby jindal doesn't even want to SPEAK of India, he is so embarrassed about his heritage lmao

 

[zzebie]

So Indians are thinking these CEOs will put India first before their companies? So if USA (which Microsoft, Pepsi and Google are based in) declares sanctions on India, the Indian CEO will favor India?

How ridiculous lmao... These guys HATE India. Bobby jindal doesn't even want to SPEAK of India, he is so embarrassed about his heritage lmao

I don't think anybody is saying these CEO's will be putting their country of origin ahead of their Business interests. I think it's more of the connection thing that resonates with the regular Indians. Someone who was not only born in India, but studied amongst them, and went outside to achieve great things is surely someone to look up to. People like Sundar P. should be an inspiration not only to Indian origin people but other first generation immigrants in the western hemisphere, who are trying to come up in the technology industry.

As for hating India, i don't thing they hate India, lol. As for Bobby Jindal, i don't see anything wrong in he saying, he wants to be seen as an American, rather than people harping on his origin. True, not true who knows, whatever helps him campaign.

 

[Bang Galore]

Sundar Pichai and the world of Indian CEOs - BBC News
Sundar Pichai and the world of Indian CEOs
It is not every day that one of the world's largest technology companies announces a new CEO.

So when Google announced that Sundar Pichai was taking the reins on Monday, his promotion gained thousands of column inches worldwide - not least of all in his native India.

The Hindu newspaper called the news "a bonus for people of Indian-origin world over". The Times of India hailed the "quiet yet thoughtful" man from Chennai (Madras).

But his ascent is far from unique. In fact, it is becoming ever more common for major international companies to have an Indian-born CEO.

One study, by the University of Southern New Hampshire, says that Indian managers are more successful because of "a paradoxical blend of genuine personal humility and intense professional will".

Whatever the model is, it seems to be working. Mr Pichai is the latest, and the most high-profile, Indian-born CEO. You can read more about him here - but here are five more Indian-born CEOs who are making waves.

Satya Nadella - Microsoft

Mr Nadella, 47, who was named the head of Microsoft in February last year, was one of the first to tweet his congratulations to Mr Pichai on Monday.

On his first day in the job, the father-of-three sent an email to all staff, calling it "a very humbling day for me".

"I am... defined by my curiosity and thirst for learning," he told staff. "I buy more books than I can finish. I sign up for more online courses than I can complete.

"I fundamentally believe that if you are not learning new things, you stop doing great and useful things."

Born in Hyderabad, he joined the company in 1992 and was previously in charge of Microsoft's Cloud OS service, which powers products such as Bing, Skype and Xbox Live.

Microsoft's man at the top

Ajay Banga - Mastercard

After working for Nestle, then PepsiCo, Mr Banga - who is from Pune - took over as CEO of the credit card company in July 2010. He began his career with Nestle in 1981.

In a speech in April to his alma mater, the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), he outlined what he called the "grand plan" he had at the start of his career.

"Get with somebody good. Get with somebody global. Do something that interested me. That's it. So, don't stress if you haven't got a detailed plan for your life. Anyone can have a good idea or plan; what makes it great is execution."

He also outlined six main lessons for good leadership:

• a sense of urgency
• a sense of balance
• the courage to take thoughtful risks
• be competitively paranoid
• develop a global view
• do well and do good

Indira Nooyi - PepsiCo

Named the third most powerful woman in business by Fortune magazine last year, Ms Nooyi was, like Sundar Pichai, born in Chennai.

She was named CEO of PepsiCo in 2006, having joined the company in 1994.

The company she presides over is a food and drinks giant: some of the brands owned by PepsiCo include Starbucks, Muller, Frito-Lay and Tropicana. The company says 22 of its brands are each worth more than $1bn (£640m).

"In my case, I benefited because I grew up outside of the United States," Ms Nooyi said in an interview in March.

"I understand exactly how the world works, and I could see the world through the eyes of people from outside the United States."

Ivan Menezes - Diageo

Mr Menezes, from Pune, is another IIM graduate. He took over as head of the British drinks giant Diageo in July 2013.

Like Ajay Banga, he began his career with Nestle in 1981.

Among the brands the company owns are Guinness, Johnnie Walker whisky, Smirnoff vodka and Captain Morgan rum.

One of his biggest moves as CEO was to buy a majority stake in India's United Spirits company, though that deal has since provided Diageo with a number of headaches.

Shantanu Narayen - Adobe Systems

Mr Narayen, from Hyderabad, has run the software firm since December 2007. He began his career with Apple.

"There's an Indian community that's vibrant and thriving," he said of Silicon Valley in an interview in February. "We attribute a lot of that to the importance of education that we all grew up with."

In the interview, he said Hyderabad's schools - modelled on the British public school system - helped his progression, as did having a foreigner's appreciation of the opportunity the US had given him.

 

[Luca1]

For Indians who want a better life, they should leave India. Any smart Indian would leave India as the list of Indian CEOs demonstrate. Very few smart Indians would stay back in India.

 

[SQ8]

His appointment will only be of some merit if he can make those google self drive cars navigate the streets of Mumbai and Dehli.

 

[Spectre]

His appointment will only be of some merit if he can make those google self drive cars navigate the streets of Mumbai and Dehli.

Lol, I almost spat out my tea. He should get a nobel for that.

Road rage in Delhi scares the sht out of me.

 

[SQ8]

Lol, I almost spat out my tea. He should get a nobel for that.

Road rage in Delhi scares the sht out of me.

ISRO has a better chance of getting FTL travel done before that is possible.