Sundar Pichai Once Revealed He Lacked Access To Tech Growing Up But Still Ended Up Running Alphabet Thanks To An Open Mind And A 'Bit Of Luck,' Though His Dad Still Wishes He Had Completed His PhD

Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Alphabet Inc. GOOG GOOGL, may lead one of the world's most valuable companies, but despite his success, he once revealed that his father still wishes he had completed his PhD.

What Happened: In a 2016 conversation with Buzzfeed, Pichai revealed his father's regret that the Google CEO did not pursue a PhD.

"I think if you talked to my dad, he's probably still regretting that I didn't complete my PhD. He had to leave college after his undergrad. He wanted to learn more, but because of financial reasons, he couldn't do it. I think he always wanted me to continue on," Pichai said then.

Speaking at YouTube’s Dear Class of 2020 virtual ceremony, Pichai also shared that his father spent an entire year's salary on a plane ticket so he could pursue his studies at Stanford University.

"My father spent the equivalent of a year’s salary on my plane ticket to the U.S. so I could attend Stanford. It was my first time ever on a plane," he recalled. He credited his passion for technology and an open mind—alongside a bit of luck—for shaping his journey.

The Google CEO also shared insights into his humble beginnings.

" 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 said.

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Why It's Important: Born in 1972 to Regunatha Pichai, an electrical engineer, and Lakshmi, a stenographer, he spent his childhood in a modest two-room apartment in Chennai. He and his younger brother slept on the living-room floor, and the family often went without a television, a car, or even running water at times.

However, when Pichai was 12, his father brought home a rotary telephone, sparking his fascination with technology.

Pichai completed his undergraduate degree in metallurgy from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur in 1993, earning a silver medal. He pursued a master's degree in engineering at Stanford University and later an MBA at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Pichai's journey in tech began with roles at Applied Materials and McKinsey & Company before he joined Google in 2004. His work at Google led to the development of key products like Google Chrome and the Google Toolbar. Over the years, Pichai rose through the ranks, ultimately being named CEO of Google and later Alphabet.

Pichai’s leadership at Alphabet, which is valued at $1.9 trillion today, has brought innovation in fields like artificial intelligence, voice recognition, and cloud computing.

As of early 2025, his net worth exceeds $1.3 billion, according to The Street.

In 2023, as the CEO of both Alphabet and Google, Pichai reportedly had an annual salary of $2 million without any stock awards or incentive-based bonuses. His total compensation for the year was $8.8 million, with nearly $6.8 million allocated for his security.

The year 2022 saw one of Pichai's highest earnings at the company, with his total compensation reaching $226 million. This included his base salary along with stock awards, which came in the form of restricted stock units (GSUs) and performance-based restricted stock units (PSUs), the report noted.

Photo Courtesy: Rokas Tenys On Shutterstock.com

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