Sundar Pichai (born Pichai Sundararajan)
Indian-American
CEO, Google
Instagram: @sundarpichai
Born in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India, Sundar Pichai was raised in Chennai, India in a middle-class home. His mother was a stenographer prior to having children, and his father worked as an electrical engineer.
As a child, Sundar was passionate about math and science. Former classmates and elders recall Sundar as “not being a problem child and always wanting to excel in his academics.” He attended the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur where he earned his degree in Metallurgical Engineering. During his studies, Sundar created his first software program centered on the game of chess, which landed him a scholarship to Stanford University.
He always dreamed of working in Silicon Valley as a child, so Stanford was the perfect step to making his dream a reality. Sundar went on to obtain a Master’s Degree in Material Sciences and Engineering, followed by an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
In 2004, the same year Google launched the beta version of Gmail, Sundar started his Google career. His earliest and one of many notable achievements include his ability to convince Google’s Founders to create its own browser called “Chrome.” In addition to Chrome, Sundar has been largely responsible for many products that are widely used: i.e. Google Drive, Gmail and Google Maps.
As someone who is “very liked and always focused on results in the company,” Sundar rose the ranks and eventually became the CEO of Google Inc. in 2015.
Interesting fact: Sundar loves cricket!
Sources: Fast Company, The Economic Times, and Business Insider