Google Once Paid $100 Million To Retain This Indian-American Executive – Hint: Not Sundar Pichai
photoDetails english 2908373 https://zeenews.india.com/photos/business/google-once-paid-100-million-to-retain-this-indian-american-executive-hint-not-sundar-pichai-2908374 Updated:May 30, 2025, 02:58 PM IST Google's $100 Million Bet to Keep Neal Mohan
1 / 7
In 2011, Google made headlines for offering an eye-popping 100 million dollars package to Neal Mohan, an Indian-American executive, to keep him from leaving the company. This massive offer was part of a fierce battle to retain one of their top product strategists, proving how much Google valued his talent and vision. The High-Stakes Talent War with Twitter
2 / 7
According to a 2011 TechCrunch report, Google's Back then, Neal Mohan was about to join Twitter (now X) as Chief Product Officer. Twitter's former board member David Rosenblatt, who had worked with Mohan before, wanted him badly. To stop this, Google offered Mohan 100 million dollars in restricted stock units, vesting over several years, to persuade him to stay. Meet Neal Mohan – The Rising Star
3 / 7
Neal Mohan is a Stanford electrical engineering graduate who started his career at Andersen Consulting (now Accenture). He later joined NetGravity, a startup that was acquired by DoubleClick. At DoubleClick, Mohan quickly rose to become Vice President of Business Operations, showing strong leadership in digital advertising. Mohan's Key Role at Google After Acquisition
4 / 7
When Google acquired DoubleClick for 3.1 billion dollars in 2007, Neal Mohan took on a leadership role within Google's advertising business. By 2011, he was a crucial figure in developing Google's ad products and shaping the future of YouTube's platform, becoming a driving force behind their success. Twitter's Attempt to Woo Sundar Pichai Too
5 / 7
Twitter's talent hunt wasn't limited to Mohan. The company also tried to recruit Sundar Pichai, who was leading Google's Chrome and Chrome OS teams. Google responded by offering Pichai a 50 million dollars stock grant to keep him from moving to Twitter, reflecting the fierce competition for tech leadership at the time. Where Are They Now?
6 / 7
Today, Neal Mohan is the CEO of YouTube, having taken over in 2023 after Susan Wojcicki's departure. Sundar Pichai became Google's CEO in 2015 and later Alphabet's CEO in 2019. Both men remain influential leaders, shaping the future of the tech world. Why Top Talent Is Worth Billions
7 / 7
This story highlights how tech giants like Google go to great lengths, including massive pay packages, to retain talented leaders. Executives like Mohan and Pichai are crucial to driving innovation and maintaining a company's competitive edge in a cutthroat industry.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Mint
34 minutes ago
- Mint
Buy or sell: Vaishali Parekh recommends three stocks to buy today — 2 June 2025
Buy or sell stocks: After showcasing a strong rally on Friday, the Indian stock market lost momentum and ended lower in the first session of the June 2025 series. The Nifty 50 index ended 82 points lower at 24,750, the BSE Sensex finished 182 points lower at 81,451, while the Bank Nifty index added 203 points and closed at 55,749. Trading volumes on the NSE cash market were sharply higher by 57% compared to the previous session, mainly due to MSCI rebalancing-related trades. For the week, the Nifty registered a minor decline of 0.33%. The Mid-cap and small-cap indices once again showcased their outperformance relative to the benchmark, though they, too, ended marginally lower. The Nifty Midcap 100 Index fell by a mere 0.06%, while the Nifty Small-cap 100 Index corrected by just 0.03%. Market breadth turned negative, with declining stocks outpacing advancing ones, as indicated by a BSE advance-decline ratio of 0.84. Vaishali Parekh, Vice President of Technical Research at Prabhudas Lilladher, believes the Indian stock market bias is still positive as the Nifty 50 index is above 24,500. The Prabhudas Lilladher expert said the key benchmark index may soon touch 25,300 if it breaks above 25,000 on a closing basis. Speaking on the outlook of the Nifty 50 today, Vaishali Parekh said, "The Nifty 50 index witnessed another session of consolidation near the 24,700 to 24,800 zone and, with the bias maintained intact, can expect for further rise once a decisive breach above the 25,000 zone is confirmed, with upside targets of 26,300 and 27,200 levels achievable in the coming days. As mentioned earlier, on the downside, the 24,500 zone is positioned as the important and strong support level which needs to be sustained to maintain the overall bias intact." "The Bank Nifty index witnessed a significant pullback in the second half to gather strength and closed near the important hurdle at the 55800 zone with bias improving and anticipating a breakout above the 56000 zone with strength indicated and can trigger for fresh upside targets of 57700 and 60300 levels in the coming days. As mentioned earlier, the near-term support shall be maintained near the 54500 zone, which needs to be sustained as of now," said Parekh. Parekh said that today, support for the Nifty is at 24,600, while resistance is at 25,000. The Bank Nifty will have a daily range of 55,400 to 56,400. Regarding stocks to buy today, Vaishali Parekh recommended buying these three buy or sell stocks: Welspun Corp, HCC, and Dabur India. 1] Welspun Corp: Buy at ₹ 932, Target ₹ 960, Stop Loss ₹ 920; 2] HCC: Buy at ₹ 34, Target ₹ 40, Stop Loss ₹ 32; and 3] Dabur India: Buy at ₹ 484, Target ₹ 500, Stop Loss ₹ 476. Disclaimer: The views and recommendations made above are those of individual analysts or broking companies, and not of Mint. We advise investors to check with certified experts before making any investment decisions.
News18
an hour ago
- News18
Petrol, Diesel Fresh Prices Announced: Check Rates In Your City On June 2
Petrol, Diesel Price On June 2: Check City-Wise Rates Across India Including In Delhi, Mumbai And Kolkata Petrol and Diesel Prices on June 2, 2025: Oil marketing companies (OMCs) revise petrol and diesel prices daily at 6 AM, reflecting fluctuations in global crude oil prices and currency exchange rates. These regular updates ensure transparency and provide consumers with the most accurate and current fuel price information. Petrol Diesel Price Today In India Check city-wise petrol and diesel prices on June 2: Key Factors Behind Petrol and Diesel Rates Petrol and diesel prices in India have remained unchanged since May 2022, following tax reductions by the central and several state governments. advetisement Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) update fuel prices daily at 6 a.m., adjusting for fluctuations in global crude oil markets. While these rates are technically market-linked, they are also influenced by regulatory measures such as excise duties, base pricing frameworks, and informal price caps. Key Factors Influencing Fuel Prices in India Crude Oil Prices: Global crude oil rates are a primary driver of fuel prices, as crude is the main input in petrol and diesel production. Exchange Rate: Since India relies heavily on crude oil imports, the value of the Indian rupee against the US dollar significantly affects fuel costs. A weaker rupee typically translates to higher prices. Taxes: Central and state-level taxes constitute a major portion of retail fuel prices. Tax rates vary across states, leading to regional price differences. Refining Costs: The cost of processing crude oil into usable fuel impacts retail prices. These costs can fluctuate depending on crude quality and refinery efficiency. Demand-Supply Dynamics: Market demand also influences fuel pricing. Higher demand can push prices up as supply adjusts to consumption trends. How to Check Petrol and Diesel Prices via SMS You can easily check the latest petrol and diesel prices in your city through SMS. For Indian Oil customers, text the city code followed by 'RSP" to 9224992249. BPCL customers can send 'RSP" to 9223112222, and HPCL customers can text 'HP Price" to 9222201122 to receive the current fuel prices. About the Author Aparna Deb Watch India Pakistan Breaking News on CNN News18. Stay updated with all the latest business news, including market trends, stock updates, tax, IPO, banking finance, real estate, savings and investments. Get in-depth analysis, expert opinions, and real-time updates—only on News18. Also Download the News18 App to stay updated! First Published: June 02, 2025, 07:19 IST
Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
Stay open: Customs mustn't let its green channel turn red
As reported, the government is working on a strategy to take down an illicit but sophisticated network of 'import carriers' at Indian air and seaports—a gang of smugglers, i.e., masquerading as regular tourists. Of late, there have been many reports of duty-evasion cases. Among those that caught public attention, a Kannada actor was stopped at Bengaluru airport allegedly trying to smuggle in more than 14kg of gold in March. Authorities not only have the usual suspects under watch, but also people with 'special privileges' at airports. 'Import carriers' are suspected of sneaking in illegal quantities of gold, electronic gadgets and even Chinese toys, which face high tariff and quality barriers. So far, so usual. No one wants smugglers running rings around customs and police, who must enforce the law. But it would help to know exactly how widespread this problem is. Data should be made public so that sporadic slip-throughs do not become a basis for tighter policy. Also Read: Mint Quick Edit | Ranya Rao arrest: Let gold enter India duty-free The measures being discussed reportedly include making customs declarations more detailed, placing a cap on how often passengers—especially frequent flyers from trade hubs like Dubai, Hong Kong and Guangzhou—can avail annual duty-free allowances and tweaking the Atithi app's declaration system for stricter tracking and 'AI-based profiling.' Even if well intended, some of it sounds like a throwback to the days before India's economy was opened up. Back then, our duties were sky-high and airports were notorious for nosy and corrupt officials at customs, whose 'leave us a bottle' demand was so customary that it often went unstated, making a stop at the duty-free shop a ritual of passage. Rules began being eased in the 1980s. As arrival numbers rose, the opening of a walk-through green channel marked a big moment: those with nothing to declare could pass without their bags being opened for scrutiny. Also Read: Centre eyes tighter customs rules to curb smuggling by 'import carriers' What's puzzling is why so many outdated rules persist. There's a limit of about ₹50,000 on the value of goods an Indian resident can bring in free of duty from most countries. This is absurd, given that a single iPhone can cost twice that much. Bizarrely, this allowance varies by various criteria. Such caps should be uniform and set significantly higher if the idea is to keep commercial imports out and block a route that can be used to dodge duties. As the green channel's spirit of trust-based regulation is the current government's stated approach, it would be odd if customs clearance were to get more cumbersome. But then, we have not entirely escaped our long history of protectionism. India's 150% duty on Scotch whisky remains a globally cited example, though a free trade pact with the UK is expected to lower it. Other such agreements could ease other import barriers. If we agree in principle that imports are best eased for larger trade gains, then no policy tweaks should be made that will make it harder for common travellers to comply with our rules. Also Read: Raghuram Rajan: How emerging economies can prosper in a protectionist world Airports need to welcome arrivals, not daunt them. Indian customs declaration forms, whether on paper or digital, look like an anachronism for their complexity. They are a reminder of the closed economy we once had, when packing one's personal stuff would risk flying into a customs web in India. None of this is an argument for authorities to drop their guard against smuggling. Wilful evaders of customs duty need to be nabbed, but let's also keep overreach in check. Don't let the green channel start turning red.
