Sundar Pichai Shares How His Father Spent a Year’s Salary on His Flight to the US

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Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Google, recently reflected on his humble beginnings and the significant sacrifices his family made to support his education. Pichai shared that his father, an electrical engineer, spent the equivalent of a year’s salary on his plane ticket to the United States, enabling him to attend Stanford University. “My father spent the equivalent of a year’s salary on my plane ticket to the US so I could attend Stanford. It was my first time ever on a plane,” Pichai recalled.

Now one of the few non-founder tech CEOs to achieve billionaire status, with a net worth of approximately $1 billion (₹8342 crore), Pichai’s story is an inspiration. He emphasized that his passion for technology and an open mind were key to his success. “Be open, be impatient, be hopeful,” Pichai urged. “If you can do that, history will remember you not for what you lost, but for what you changed. You have the chance to change everything. I am optimistic you will.”

Pichai’s early years were marked by limited access to technology. “I grew up without much access to technology. We didn’t get our first telephone till I was ten. I didn’t have regular access to a computer until I came to America for graduate school. And, our television, when we finally got one, only had one channel,” he shared.

Born on June 10, 1972, Pichai turns 52 years old today. He grew up in Chennai in a two-room apartment where he and his younger brother slept on the living-room floor. His mother was a stenographer. Despite these modest beginnings, Pichai’s academic journey took him from IIT Kharagpur, where he completed his degree in metallurgical engineering, to Stanford University for an MS in material science and engineering, and finally to the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania for an MBA.

Pichai has now worked at Google for over 20 years, becoming a pivotal figure in the tech industry. His story underscores the importance of perseverance, sacrifice, and a relentless pursuit of one’s passions.

Sources By Agencies