Bhanver - Pichai The Future of Google

PICHAI

THE FUTURE OF GOOGLE

Jagmohan S. Bhanver

First published in 2016 by Hachette India
(Registered name: Hachette Book Publishing India Pvt. Ltd)
An Hachette UK company
www.hachetteindia.com

This ebook published in 2016

Copyright 2016 Jagmohan S. Bhanver

Jagmohan S. Bhanver asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

All rights reserved. No part of the publication may be copied, reproduced, downloaded, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover or digital format other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

Print edition ISBN 978-93-5195-061-5

Ebook edition ISBN 978-93-5195-062-2

The views and opinions expressed in this book are the authors own and the facts are as reported by him. The publishers are not in any way liable for the same.

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Originally typeset in Sabon 10.5/15
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CONTENTS

Over the past few months, since the appointment of the third chief executive officer (CEO) of IT giant Google on 10 August 2015, both the media and analysts have been speculating about the changes Sundar Pichai will bring about at Google. Needless to say, the kind of expectation that has stemmed from Pichais appointment is unprecedented, and perhaps surpasses even that of Satya Nadella, when he was chosen to lead the worlds fourth-largest company, Microsoft, just a year ago.

Unlike Microsoft and several other large technology companies, Google hasnt made too many mistakes in the past. This is not to say that it has been smooth sailing for Google so far, as they have faced fierce competition from Amazon, Microsoft, Apple and various other companies on different fronts. However, most of Googles recent product stories have been written right, and observers would be hard put to find fault with too many of them. In fact, Pichais ability to come up with winning products has been something Googles co-founder Larry Page has lauded in the past. Now that the man behind most of those products is actually in the drivers seat, it will be interesting to see in which direction he plans to steer Google. On the flip side, there have been people who have criticized Google for going slow on innovation in recent years. Larry Pages decision to create Alphabet as the holding company and focus on moon shots through the newly formed entity may actually be a move to counter that criticism. It leaves Pichai to focus on making Google better at what it does. A leaner Google will also innovate better.

Sundar Pichai has been at the forefront of most of these developments, and with his promotion a lot of people will be keenly watching the developments at Googles Mountain View headquarters in California, USA. Google, under Sergey Brin, Eric Schmidt and Larry Page, has made huge strides since its beginning in 1998. Will the company lead the world into the next phase of technological innovation? More importantly, will Sundar Pichai be the man to take the company there?

Like Nadella, Sundar Pichai has not been much of a public figure in the past. Very little is known of the man from Chennai who has rapidly risen through the ranks of the tech giant. What goads this man to excel? What does Pichais appointment portend for Google and, possibly, for the tech industry as a whole?

In endeavouring to glean answers to these questions and several more, I have had the fortune of analysing not just Google but also its latest CEO. By all accounts, it appears that Google is set for a very interesting ride and Sundar Pichai may end up surprising his supporters and detractors alike.

Pichais appointment as CEO of Google and Larry Pages transition to Alphabet is merely the tip of the iceberg. The actual story of Googles new innings will start unfurling over the following months and will continue for at least a couple of years from now. By all accounts, Google appears to be in safe hands. However, only time will tell whether Google will supersede its biggest rivals or end up losing its current market share to more nimble players. In the interim, this book attempts to give an insight into Sundar Pichai, the man and the professional, and what his recent promotion means for Google, and for the future of technology.

The thing that attracted me to Google and to the Internet in general is that its a great equalizer. I want Google to strive to do that; not just build technology for certain segments. For me, it matters that we drive technology as an equalizing force, as an enabler for everyone around the world.

Sundar Pichai

The inception of an idea

Life has no limitations, except the ones you make.

Les Brown

The Mobile World Congress (MWC) today is veritably the largest exposition for the mobile industry, where heads of various mobile operators, technology providers, manufacturers and content owners meet to talk about the latest innovations and happenings in the mobile world, and the impact this will have on mobile users all over the globe. The 2015 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona was no exception. In fact, it was the largest gathering in the history of the exhibition. Imagine 94,000 participants from more than 2,000 organizations and 200 countries, all in one place!

What marked this particular event though was not just the significant number of attendees, but also the speech given by a Google representative, introduced by Brad Stone of Bloomberg BusinessWeek. Interestingly, Brad Stone, in a June 2014 article in his magazine, had referred to this very person as the most powerful man in mobile. The man was none other than Sundar Pichai, then senior vice-president at Google, and now the CEO of the legendary company.

The thousands of people gathered at the MWC in Barcelona, listening with bated breath to Pichais dreams and plans of a mobile Google, might be forgiven for not knowing that the speakers story began in a place called Ashok Nagar in Chennai, where, 30 years ago, a 12-year-old Sundar Pichai held a rotary phone in his young hands for the very first time. It was the first phone his family had ever owned!

It was perhaps right then that the possibilities of what a phone could do flooded Sundars mind. While it may be conjecture, one feels compelled to surmise that his love for technology and its unlimited power to make positive changes for people everywhere, may have germinated within his being in that very moment.

The early years

Difficulties are meant to rouse, not discourage.
The human spirit is to grow strong by conflict.

William Ellery Channing

Most people who have succeeded in their lives have had their fair share of challenges. If everyone who won the race had a favoured past, there would be no motivational stories to inspire those who havent had fortune shine upon them yet. One thing that separates the true winners from the also-rans is their indomitable spirit to rise above their tribulations and go to war with whatever they have, rather than sit at home complaining about what they dont.

Sundar Pichai belongs to the tribe of achievers, and Channings words never rang as true as they appear to do in his case. Born on 12 July 1972, in Madurai, Pichais childhood was spent in Chennai. While the Pichai family was not impecunious, their coffers were certainly not overflowing with riches either. Sundars father, Regunatha, was employed as a senior engineer with a British multinational company that made switchgears. Lakshmi, his mother, worked as a stenographer but gave up her job after Sundar and his brother Sreenivasan were born. A traditional, down-to-earth family, the Pichais focus was on ensuring that the children got the best education possible, which meant that comforts like a television set or a car had to be sacrificed. Their Chennai apartment boasted two rooms and this necessitated that Sundar and his brother sleep in the living room. Travel was restricted to the overcrowded public transport or riding shotgun with his father on their old Lambretta scooter while his younger brother brought up the pillion.