| Human Profile | |
| Name: | Pichai Sundararajan |
| Birthday: | June 10, 1972 (age 53 years), Born in Madurai, India |
| Height: | 5'11" (180 cm) |
Overview
Pichai Sundararajan is an Indian business executive and engineer who leads Google and its parent company Alphabet Inc. as CEO, widely recognized for his instrumental role in developing the Chrome browser and for guiding the company’s strategic focus on artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and sustainability.
Latest News (Feb 4, 2026): Sundar Pichai announced the launch of Project Genie, an experimental AI prototype that allows US Ultra subscribers to generate and explore interactive digital worlds using text prompts. He also debuted the Universal Commerce Protocol at the NRF Big Show, a major retail development that enables direct checkout capabilities within Google Gemini and AI-driven search modes.
Early Life and Education
Pichai Sundararajan was born on June 10, 1972, in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India. His father, Regunatha Pichai, was an electrical engineer at the British conglomerate GEC, and his mother, Lakshmi, worked as a stenographer. He grew up in a two-room apartment in Chennai and had a younger brother.
He completed his early schooling at Jawahar Vidyalaya Senior Secondary School in Chennai and his Class XII from Vana Vani School on the IIT Madras campus. He then earned a Bachelor of Technology degree in metallurgical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur.
Following his graduation, he received a scholarship to Stanford University, where he obtained a Master of Science degree in materials science and engineering. He later earned a Master of Business Administration from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he was named a Siebel Scholar and a Palmer Scholar.
Career Beginnings
Pichai Sundararajan began his career as a materials engineer. He worked in engineering and product management at Applied Materials. Following this, he had a brief tenure at the management consulting firm McKinsey & Company.
Rise at Google
In 2004, Pichai Sundararajan joined Google as the head of product management and development. His initial work focused on the Google Toolbar, which allowed users of Internet Explorer and Firefox to easily access Google’s search engine. He was instrumental in the development and launch of Google’s own web browser, Chrome, in 2008. The success of Chrome was a significant turning point in his career.
His responsibilities expanded to include other key products. He led the product management and innovation efforts for a suite of Google’s client software products, including ChromeOS and Google Drive. He also went on to oversee the development of applications like Gmail and Google Maps. In 2013, he took charge of the Android division. His growing influence and success at the company led to him being considered for the CEO position at Microsoft in 2014. To retain him, Google offered him a significant financial package.
Leadership of Google and Alphabet
On August 10, 2015, Pichai Sundararajan was selected as the new CEO of Google. He officially stepped into the role on October 24, 2015, upon the formation of Alphabet Inc., Google’s new holding company. In 2017, he was appointed to the Board of Directors of Alphabet. In December 2019, he became the CEO of Alphabet Inc.
As CEO, he has directed the company’s focus toward artificial intelligence, overseeing the development of Google’s AI chatbot, Gemini. He has also guided the expansion of Google’s product portfolio, including the Pixel smartphone line and the growth of Google Cloud. Under his leadership, Alphabet has advanced its initiatives in cloud computing and sustainability.
During his tenure, the company has faced scrutiny over various issues. He received criticism for a significant pay package in 2022 amidst company layoffs. The company’s AI generator, Gemini, also faced controversy for generating historically inaccurate images. In 2021, internal communications indicated that Pichai Sundararajan had been alerted to concerns regarding Google’s Real-Time Bidding system and its potential to broadcast sensitive user data.
Personal Life
Pichai Sundararajan is married to Anjali Pichai, whom he met while they were students at IIT Kharagpur. They have two children. His recreational interests include cricket and soccer.