Latest news with #DoubleClick
India.com
4 days ago
- Business
- India.com
Google Once Paid $100 Million To Retain This Indian-American Executive – Hint: Not Sundar Pichai
photoDetails english 2908373 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.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
5 days ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Inside Google's $100 mn gamble to retain YouTube CEO Neal Mohan in 2011
Within Silicon Valley's high-stakes arena, retaining top talent often requires bold moves — and Google's $100 million bet on Neal Mohan is a textbook example. More than a decade ago, the tech giant shelled out a massive stock package to stop Mohan from jumping ship to rival X. The revelation surfaced recently on Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath's podcast, where Mohan appeared as a guest. Kamath recalled reading about the extraordinary counteroffer made by Google in 2011. 'I remember reading this thing about Google offering you $100 million not to quit. Not today, but 15 years ago, which was a lot of money,' Kamath said. Mohan did not deny the claim. Inside the $100 million deal At the time, Mohan was a central figure in Google's advertising and YouTube product strategy. Twitter, aiming to strengthen its product leadership, had approached Mohan for the position of Chief Product Officer. The offer was reportedly championed by David Rosenblatt, Mohan's former boss at DoubleClick and a board member at X. Sensing the risk of losing a valuable resource, Google swiftly responded with a counteroffer — restricted stock units worth over $100 million that would vest over several years. The offer was made even before an official one came through from X, according to a 2011 TechCrunch report. The move underscored Mohan's growing influence and the strategic importance Google placed on keeping him. Interestingly, Mohan was not the only Google executive X was eyeing. Sundar Pichai, then leading Chrome and Chrome OS, was also approached. Google responded with a $50 million stock grant to retain him. From startup roots to Silicon Valley leadership Neal Mohan's career trajectory reveals why Google was so determined to keep him. A Stanford University graduate in electrical engineering, Mohan started as a senior analyst at Andersen Consulting (now Accenture) in 1994. In 1997, he joined NetGravity, which was later acquired by DoubleClick. At DoubleClick, Mohan rose to become vice-president of business operations. He was instrumental in reshaping the company during tough times, and when Google acquired it in 2007 for $3.1 billion, Mohan transitioned into a senior role in Google's ad division. By 2011, he was already shaping YouTube's product roadmap and had become indispensable to Google's product development efforts. The $100 million retention deal turned out to be a prudent investment — his work proved pivotal in shaping YouTube's future. Rise of a quiet tech leader Mohan's impact continued to grow after the failed X move. In 2015, he was appointed Chief Product Officer at YouTube, and by 2023, he had succeeded Susan Wojcicki as CEO of the platform. Despite his low public profile, Mohan remains one of the most influential figures in tech. Beyond his executive role, Mohan is also an Advisory Council Member at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Google paid Neal Mohan $100 million to stop him from joining Twitter
Google reportedly paid Indian-American executive Neal Mohan $100 million more than a decade ago to prevent him from leaving the company for Twitter , now known as X. The revelation resurfaced during a recent episode of Zerodha cofounder Nikhil Kamath's podcast, where the host referenced the intense competition among tech companies to retain senior leaders. In 2011, Neal Mohan was a key figure in Google's advertising and YouTube product strategy. During the podcast, Kamath said, 'I remember reading this thing about Google offering you $100 million not to quit. Not today, but 15 years ago, which was a lot of money.' Mohan did not deny the claim. According to a 2011 TechCrunch report, the compensation was offered in the form of restricted stock units that would vest over several years. The offer was reportedly made after Twitter tried to recruit Mohan as its chief product officer. That move was led by David Rosenblatt, Mohan's former boss at advertisment company DoubleClick and a Twitter board member at the time. Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:00 Loaded : 0% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 1x Playback Rate Chapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off , selected Captions captions settings , opens captions settings dialog captions off , selected Audio Track default , selected Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Mohan holds a degree in electrical engineering from Stanford University and began his career at Andersen Consulting (now Accenture), later joining adtech startup NetGravity. Following NetGravity's acquisition by DoubleClick, he rose to become vice president of business operations. He transitioned to Google in 2007 when it acquired DoubleClick for $3.1 billion and went on to play a critical role in shaping its advertising and video product strategy. By 2011, he had emerged as one of the most influential voices in Google's product development efforts. The $100 million retention package was seen as a strategic move to safeguard Google's leadership bench at a time when top executives were being aggressively courted by rivals. Mohan was not the only executive approached by Twitter. Around the same time, Twitter also attempted to hire Sundar Pichai , who was then leading Chrome and Chrome OS at Google. The search giant reportedly countered with a $50 million stock grant to retain him. Discover the stories of your interest Blockchain 5 Stories Cyber-safety 7 Stories Fintech 9 Stories E-comm 9 Stories ML 8 Stories Edtech 6 Stories Both Mohan and Pichai have since risen to the top of their respective organisations. Mohan succeeded Susan Wojcicki as chief executive officer of YouTube in 2023. Pichai was appointed CEO of Google in 2015 and took on the role of Alphabet Inc's CEO in 2019.
Entrepreneur
06-05-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
DOJ Wants Google to Sell a Few of Its Core Businesses
The Department of Justice is proposing that Google sell two of its products in the digital ad tech space, but Google has its own ideas. Last month, a U.S. District Judge in Alexandria, Virginia, wrote that Google had harmed advertisers and consumers by violating the Sherman Antitrust Act in two markets. It was the second time in less than a year that a federal judge had ruled that the tech giant was a monopoly. Now, in a new filing, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is proposing that Google divest two of its products in the digital ad tech space to remedy to situation: AdX, its ad exchange; and its ad server, DoubleClick for Publishers (in a "phased" sale, per TechCrunch). The DOJ also wants to bar Google from running any ad exchange product for 10 years. Related: Everyone Wants to Buy Google's Chrome Browser — Including OpenAI, According to a Top ChatGPT Executive In the filing, the Court writes that digital advertising is "the lifeblood of the Internet" and "Google has engaged in a decade-long campaign to acquire, protect, and entrench monopoly power" in two markets "critical to digital advertising." It notes that "divestiture is the most important and most effective of antitrust remedies, in large part because [i]t is simple, relatively easy to administer, and sure." Google, however, has its own ideas. On Monday, Google filed its response in court, and then, on Tuesday, the tech giant posted a condensed version in a public blog post online. "We disagree with the Court's ruling on our publisher tool, Google Ad Manager (a small part of our business), and will appeal," writes Lee-Anne Mulholland, Google's vice president of regulatory affairs. "DOJ is seeking remedies that go significantly beyond the Court's narrow ruling by forcing a divestiture of Google Ad Manager." Related: Here's Why Google Losing the Antitrust Case Matters, According to a Market Insights Expert Google outlined some of its suggestions, which include making it easier for publishers to use Google Ad Manager with other ad tech providers and "giving publishers the option to set different price floors." "Ad Manager helps publishers easily fund their content and grow their businesses, and most of the money we make from the tool is reinvested back into it," Mulholland writes. "Breaking it would raise costs and disproportionately impact small businesses who rely on Google's affordable, easy-to-use tools to grow." Meanwhile, in the other monopoly case, the DOJ also wants Google to sell its Chrome browser. A judge will decide by August what Alphabet, Google's parent company, must do. Google is also appealing that case. If the company is forced to sell, there is no shortage of interested buyers, including OpenAI. Related: Firefox Would Like to Remind Everyone It Exists and 'Isn't Backed By a Billionaire'
The Verge
06-05-2025
- Business
- The Verge
DOJ asks court to split up Google's ad tech empire
The US Department of Justice filed a plan in court to make Google divest its advertising marketplace and ad management platform, part of a proposal to address the company's 'decade-long campaign of exclusionary conduct,' which a judge has declared violates antitrust law. On Monday, the DOJ and Google both filed requests for remedying the tech giant's legally declared ad-tech monopoly. The DOJ plan proposes having Google sell two major pieces of its business: its Ad Exchange (AdX) and its ad management platform DoubleClick for Publishers (DFP), which is now called Google Ad Manager. Google, which plans to appeal the original verdict, asks the court to require targeted changes in certain business practices while leaving the company intact. The DOJ's AdX sale pitch cites the court's April ruling that AdX made it 'more difficult for customers on both sides of the ad exchange market to switch to rival exchanges.' It says that Google should sell its AdX business 'as soon as possible,' while implementing an interim remedy that would require the marketplace to work with other systems. It also proposes preventing Google from operating an ad exchange for 10 years. The DOJ suggests a 'phased' divestiture of Ad Manager/DFP. This divestiture addresses a ruling that Google forced customers to use a product 'they would not necessarily have otherwise used' by tying DFP to AdX, while also implementing policies that customers disliked, according to the DOJ. For the first phase, the DOJ proposes having Google create an API that would allow the platform to integrate with other ad exchanges, as well as provide an export feature that would let publishers transfer their data from DFP to another ad server. The DOJ then suggests forcing Google to release the code used to carry out final ad auctions under an open-source license, while blocking it from 'hosting or recreating' the code in any of its products, including DFP, Android, and Chrome. The final phase of the DOJ's proposal would require Google to divest the remainder of DFP to an entity separate from the one that acquires AdX. Along with these proposals, the DOJ suggests forcing Google to share the data it obtained through DFP and says it shouldn't use first-party data from YouTube, Gmail, Search, Chrome, and Android to gain an unfair advantage. Google, of course, disagrees with these proposals. In a filing outlining its proposed remedies, Google argues that it shouldn't be forced to sell AdX or DFP because it fairly acquired these businesses without unlawful intent. Google adds that because of the services' design, 'divestiture is not as simple as selling either the AdX or DFP source code to a willing buyer.' The company claims divestiture would require the creation of new versions of AdX and DFP that work outside Google, a process it estimates would take at least five years. 'In the meantime, this process would significantly harm the customers of AdX and DFP,' Google says. 'During the years of rebuilding either or both of AdX and DFP, coding new versions of the tools would conscript precious resources, including the limited universe of software engineers familiar with these tools, that are currently devoted to maintaining and improving AdX and DFP.' To resolve the court's concerns, Google proposes barring a handful of business practices that the DOJ singled out for criticism in court. It commits to making real-time bids from AdX available to rival ad servers, as well as removing policies that prevent these bids from being shared with competitors. It also says it would deprecate unified pricing rules (UPR), which the DOJ claims it used to unfairly gain control in the ad tech market. Google would also promise not to rebuild the First Look and Last Look tools — which gave Google a leg up in ad auctions — that it discontinued in 2019. The tech giant is under mounting pressure from the DOJ, which is currently in court asking a judge to make Google sell Chrome as part of a separate antitrust case that saw Google search ruled a monopoly. These new proposals threaten to split up Google's sprawling empire even further.
