Anjali Pichai is the wife of Sundar Pichai, the highest-paid Indian CEO in the world. For those who don’t know, Sundar Pichai is the CEO of Alphabet, Google’s parent company, which has a market cap of $2.09 trillion. While Sundar Pichai is widely known, not many are aware of his wife Anjali Pichai, who has significantly contributed to his success.
According to DNA, Sundar Pichai earns over Rs 1800 crore annually, with a salary package of Rs 1869 crore in 2022, more than India’s richest man Mukesh Ambani. This translates to more than Rs 5 crore per day. Sundar credits Anjali for his current position at Google, as she advised him to stay with the company despite offers from Twitter and Yahoo.
Pichai's journey began in 2004 after his time at McKinsey & Company. At Google, he not only managed the product team but also drove innovations like Chrome and Chrome OS. His rise continued when he was appointed Product Chief by then-CEO Larry Page, ultimately leading to his appointment as Google's CEO on August 10, 2015.
Besides his significant contributions to product management and innovation, Pichai played a crucial role in shaping Google Drive. His journey from IIT Kharagpur to Stanford Business School ultimately led him to this remarkable leadership position, showcasing his steadfast dedication and vision.
The Indian-American executive was born on June 10, 1972, in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India. Lakshmi, his mother, was a stenographer, while his father, Regunatha Pichai, worked at GEC as an electrical engineer. While he is better known as Sundar Pichai, the Google CEO's full name is Pichai Sundararajan.
Sundar Pichai completed his schooling at Jawahar Vidyalaya Senior Secondary School in Chennai, and Class XII from Vana Vani School. He then studied earned metallurgical engineering at IIT Kharagpur. It was followed by an M.S. in materials science and engineering from Stanford University, and an MBA from Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.
Before Google, Pichai worked at Applied Materials and at McKinsey & Company for a few months. In 2004, he joined Google where he worked and headed various projects. In October 2015, he was appointed as Google's CEO after the completion of Alphabet Inc, which includes Google. In 2017, he was made one of Alphabet's Board of Directors.
As their final year of engineering began, Sundar asked Anjali to marry him, and she said yes! In a recent interview, Sundar Pichai talked about how difficult it was for him and Anjali to date before smartphones. He recounted their first meeting at her all-girls hostel.
Like any relationship, their love story had its challenges, especially after graduation. Anjali stayed in India while Sundar went to the United States for his graduate studies. They couldn't afford to talk frequently as Sundar was not financially stable at the time. For six long months, they didn't speak, but this only strengthened their love for each other. Eventually, Anjali travelled to the United States to be with Sundar, who was now employed and earning a respectable salary. With a stable career, Sundar decided it was time to marry Anjali.
After spending some time apart, Anjali also relocated to the USA. Sundar had secured a job with a US semiconductor company by then. He felt it was the perfect time to marry Anjali since he had a secure job. So, Sundar asked Anjali’s parents for their permission before proposing to her. After getting married, the couple settled in the USA and have lived there ever since.
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