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Sundar Pichai has historically maintained a low public profile, especially in recent times, compared to other tech CEOs. A fascinating interview with the CEO of Alphabet / Google by the BBC aired in the UK last week and reveals more than recent discussions.
BBC interviewer Amol Rajan begins with Sundar Pichai’s youth and education. As a teenager (mid-late 1980s), Sundar said he “really wanted to be in Silicon Valley.”
It was the place of Apple and where semiconductors were invented. I felt like I wanted to be part of where the technology was developing. It was my dream to be successful here.
There was a funny anecdote about how he ate ice cream with (current YouTube) CEO Susan Wojcicki during his interview, which took place during the Gmail announcement on April 1, 2004.
Pichai: It struck me a bit that it is a unique place. It’s different and you know people are very optimistic and idealistic.
BBC: Is there still the same optimism and idealism today? Tempered by realism I imagine
Pichai: Sure, I think people understand what’s at stake, but still today it’s a place where people amplify your ideas. You talk about something you want to do, people are trying to help you. They build on your idea. And I still see it today and it’s something that I think is very unique and that I really appreciate.
Amid big tech facing massive regulatory action around the world, Pichai pushed back against the idea that the Google / Alphabet scale gives him disproportionate power:
I think we are innovating enough? So that we are relevant in 10 years, in 20 years, in 30 years. And I know the work that is done to win that every year, we have to win it back and you know if we miss a single trend.
You know, you can go back 10 or 15 years ago and look at the companies with the highest market capitalization. I’m sure their CEOs were in discussions like this. Some of these companies are not the best today.
This has always been true when you look back. So if anything that you make a case for one way or another, this time will be different. That there are those companies that will sort of always be the most successful companies.
Throughout the interview, Pichai explains how Google cares about the competition. In one example, he touted how an internal team examines whether acquisitions will add to market competition. This connects to a recent New York Times piece on how “Mr. Pichai struggled with aspects of the [Fitbit] deal ”, in particular with regard to integration, product plans and protection of user data.
Finally, in a fun whirlwind tour, Pichai reveals that he drives a Tesla, doesn’t eat meat, that dosa (a South Indian pancake) is his favorite meal, and wishes he had met Stephen Hawking.
The full Sundar Pichai interview is available on BBC iPlayer if you are in the UK.
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