We’ve witnessed the ease at which Google CEO Sundar Pichai was able to connect with Indian leaders such as PM Narendra Modi, with as much ease as he was looked up to and struck a chord with students during his interaction at SRCC, New Delhi.
What is it, then, that moved leaders in their own right such as Satya Nadella, Tim Cook and even PM Modi were quick to congratulate him on his promotion in August this year?
To get a glimpse, we spoke to several individuals including current and former Googlers, and individuals who work on technologies other than Android, or anything Google! These include people with a leaning towards Microsoft technologies, individuals who have worked closely with Sundar Pichai and those who have known him for years.
Ramkumar Pichai is the Managing Director at GSR Business Services (P) Ltd. Interestingly, he was a General Manager at Microsoft till recently. But soon after introducing himself, he threw in another surprise! He added that Sundar Pichai’s father and his father have been colleagues at work. They were electrical engineers. He recalled how Sundar Pichai’s father distributed sweets when his son got through to IIT Kharagpur. Indeed, that is as Indian as it gets!
A BloombergBusiness report adds that his father worked for the British conglomerate GEC and also managed a factory that produced electrical components. His father Regunatha Pichai, the report adds, recalled how he would discuss about his work day and the challenges he faced with Sundar, who took an active interest. According to his father, that is probably what got Sundar Pichai attracted to the world of technology.
Looking back, Ramkumar Pichai feels a great sense of pride in knowing that a family friend has reached great heights. But he adds, it’s a matter of great pride for the nation too. Although he hasn’t been in touch with Sundar, he feels happy at the inspiration Sundar Pichai has turned out to be for the nation.
When I set out to find someone who would know Pichai, I was quite excited to talk to someone who shared the surname. Probably that was as close as I could get to a Pichai!
And I thought it was an amusing coincidence that one Pichai heads Google, while another Pichai was a General Manager at Microsoft till very recently. Ramkumar Pichai beautifully puts it, “One thing that is common in companies such as Google and Microsoft is that there is great mutual admiration for competition. None of what they do comes in the way of acknowledging who Sundar Pichai is! Both Microsoft and Google would continue to aspire to be the best in what they do. There are certain areas where the two compete, and Sundar Pichai would continue to lead Google to be the best in the fields they operate in”
While listening to so many individuals, I couldn’t help but notice how the lines were blurred between competition. In stark contrast to the stiff competitiveness we read about, here we had individuals who have worked in competing companies, but came together to identify the talent and potential and persona of an individual who has grown to head one of the most popular company on the planet. And they all had kind things to say about the new CEO of Google.
And that, in the true sense, was the indication of a great leader. Interestingly, this is an attribute also visible with Satya Nadella. Two gentlemen, humble, respected, and admired across industries and companies. And now, also inspiration to hundreds of thousands of Indians, who aspire to be them!
Continuing to admire Sundar Pichai is a former employee, who is very close to Google and has worked with teams in India and the Google leadership at Mountain View, California. The former employee added how he (Pichai) is an absolutely great person, and very humble. Although a lot of it is popularly known, he’s often described as someone who is very approachable and extremely pleasant to work with. The former employee added, Pichai is excellent with people, and those who have worked with him tend to be very loyal to him. In fact, most of his team comprises people who have been with him since the initial days of Android. It is widely believed that’s one of the main reasons why he was able to make Android such a successful product.
Referring to the several projects announced in India including the free public Wi-Fi across railway stations in India, the former Googler said, while Sundar Pichai has made all the announcements, it doesn’t all belong to him. He happens to be making those announcements since he’s the CEO of the company. There are many others who works towards putting all the numerous projects together at Google. And there is definitely a business strategy that determines the course of the projects being announced.
It is also widely believed that he and Nikesh Arora happen to be very good friends. In fact, it is quite evident from the tweets around the time of Pichai’s elevation to the role of CEO, Google being announced. Nikesh tweeted out:
And of the many people to like that tweet was the man Sundar Pichai himself! Only to highlight the pleasant humour and sense of comfort that exists between the two.
I must admit here. I couldn’t help, but borrow a few words I heard over the course of the numerous conversations with brilliant and talented individuals. It instills a great sense of satisfaction in an industry that has learned to appreciate the good on the other side. In similar terms, Microsoft’s Satya Nadella has also enhanced the appeal and image of Microsoft by transforming it over the past year. And while discussing this topic with a popular individual in the developer ecosystem, I received a text reply saying, “the world is large enough for everyone to shine!” And what better way to headline a story that highlights the rise of a talented gentleman named Sundar Pichai!
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