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Sundar Pichai Birthday Today: 7 Interesting Facts to Know About Him Sundar Pichai celebrates his 49th birthday today. Born on June 10, 1972 in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, did you know Pichai didn't have access to basic necessities in his childhood? Read to know more and learn from the man himself

By Puneet Kapani

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Google

Google's CEO Sundar Pichai is a highly interesting personality. He rose to this exalted position through hard work and his journey to this position was not an easy one. The CEO of tech giant Google and its parent company Alphabet Inc is a fitting example of the saying "the road to success can be found only through hard work". Pichai's journey from modest beginnings to one of the world's most successful professionals under the age of 50 is truly inspirational. His full name is Pichai Sundararajan but is popularly known as Sundar Pichai. On his 49th birthday, we are here to share little known facts about him:

He has multiple degrees

Pichai studied at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, where he received a Bachelor of Technology (B Tech) degree. After moving to the United States, he obtained a Master of Science degree from Stanford University and went on to attain an MBA from Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

He loves to play football and cricket and a big fan of sitcom F.R.I.E.N.D.S.

The soft-spoken CEO loves to play football and cricket in his free time. He also enjoys reading English classics and watching F.R.I.E.N.D.S. "I am a big football fan. I follow football more because it is easier to follow there. I am a big Barcelona and Lionel Messi fan," he once told students at Delhi college SRCC, according to one of his interviews.

Pichai's work in Google

Following the reorganization of Google/Alphabet Inc., Pichai assumed control over Google's business segments including search, ads, maps, the Google Play Store, YouTube, and Android.

Birth and family and net worth

Pichai Sundararajan was born in 1972 in Chennai in the state of Tamil Nadu. He started his life as the son of a middle-class family. His father was an electrical engineer. During those days, his father had to save for three years to buy a scooter for the family. Today, Sundar Pichai's net worth is around $150 million.

Journey with Google

Sundar joined Google in 2004. In 2011, there was a talk in the media that Sundar Pichai might replace Jason Goldman at Twitter. However, he chose to stay with Google. In 2013, Sundar Pichai took over Andy Rubin, Android founder's portfolio to administer mobile platforms. He could successfully woo more than a billion global customers to come to the Android ecosystem.

When there were chances for Sundar Pichai to move to Microsoft, Google negotiated with him to retain him with their company for $50 million in a year in stocks. Despite being appointed as the CEO of Google, Pitchai took care of the day-to-day operations of Google from the year 2014.

Early life and Hardships

Did you know, Pichai who heads Google now once lacked basic necessities like a refrigerator. In a past interview with NYT, Pichai said "we lived in a kind of modest house, shared with tenants. We would sleep on the living room floor. There was a drought when I was growing up and we had anxiety. Even now, I can never sleep without a bottle of water beside my bed. Other houses had refrigerators, and then we finally got one. It was a big deal."

Love Life

Sundar Pichai married her college girlfriend Anjali. Both met at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, and were classmates.

Puneet Kapani

Former Features Editor

Puneet Kapani, former features editor for Entrepreneur India, is self-driven and passionate about happenings and nuances of the world. She writes on lifestyle, gadgets, beauty, wellness, entertainment and technology updates around the globe. She has previously worked with L’Officiel India magazine, FHM Magazine and Times Internet. 

Catch a glimpse of her work at @PuneetKapani on LinkedIn and @puneetkapani on Instagram.

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