Google CEO Sundar Pichai turns 52 today. Born in Madurai, Tamil Nadu in 1972, Pichai earned a degree in metallurgical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. He then moved to the United States and earned a master's degree in materials science and engineering from Stanford University. He then earned an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was also a Siebel and Palmer Scholar.
Talking about his childhood in Madurai, he said in an interview, “We used to sleep on the living room floor. There were droughts when I was growing up and it was scary. Even now, I can't sleep without a bottle of water next to my bed. Life was simple then and very good compared to today's world.”
Sundar Pichai joined Google in 2004. During his time at the company, he led product management and innovation efforts for Google's client software portfolio, including Chrome and Chrome OS, and was reportedly also responsible for Google Drive. He became the company's CEO in 2015.
Sundar Pichai recently reflected on his parents, saying, “I saw our lives through the advent of gadgets. We waited five years for a telephone. It was a rotary dial phone. But when the telephone came to our house, it changed our lives. I remember getting our first TV and suddenly being able to watch sports.”
He added: “I used to cycle long distances to school but my bikes didn't have gears so I had to go uphill. Years later I got a bike with gears and I thought wow! What a dramatic difference. I've never taken technology for granted. I've always been optimistic that it can make a difference.”
