The 'most powerful man in mobile' wears his stature lightly. Ask him how it feels to bear the title and he shrugs. "There are many powerful men and women in mobile. I'm fortunate to be part of that group. But by no means do I think I'm the most powerful person."
At 42, the tall, slight and soft-spoken Sundar Pichai is senior vice-president at Google where he oversees Android, Chrome and Google Apps. He's been rumoured to have been in the running to become Microsoft CEO ("I can't comment on rumours," he says when asked). There's also speculation that he'll lead Google one day. "Larry (Page) is very committed to Google for the long term. So that's a hypothetical question," he replies.
Pichai confesses to not knowing too much about Google's operations in India, though he adds, "I follow India news on the TOI website every day."
Asked if he's aware that he has become a household name in India, he says, "I'm humbled to be in this position of responsibility ... When I come to India, I do feel some of that sentiment and appreciate it. I'm nostalgic but also very excited. India has always had potential but it's now moving to have a big impact. The trends will only go in one direction from here. What strikes me every single time is that the aspirations of Indians are unique and unparalleled. They're very demanding, regardless of background ... Entrepreneurs are beginning to work on unique things. There's a palpable sense of excitement that I'd never noticed before."
The full interview:
You've become a household name for Indian families around the world. Has that made a difference to your life?
Yes and no. I do feel a strong sense of support and backing, though I don't always necessarily know all these people. I'm humbled to be in this position of responsibility where I can do stuff that I feel passionate about, and which can impact so many lives. It's a privilege I cherish. But it hasn't really affected my day-to-day life. I'm very busy in the same way I have been for years.
Still, when I come to India, I do feel some of that sentiment and appreciate it. I'm nostalgic but also very excited. India has always had potential but it's now moving to have a big impact. The trends will only go in one direction from here. What strikes me every single time is that the aspirations of Indians are unique and unparalleled. They're very demanding, regardless of background.
At Google, we feel that India will be the biggest source of growth for Android for years to come. The scale of what we can accomplish here is huge. Things like Android One (which aims at providing affordable smart phones) have been conceived with India in mind. We want to do it right here and then use that as a template to take it outside.
How does it feel to be described as the most powerful man in mobile?
There are many powerful men and women in mobile. I'm fortunate to be part of that group. By no means do I think I'm the most powerful person. But that article did make for good reading (laughs).The Android ecosystem is almost Machiavellian. You have a powerful ally in Samsung, potentially a major rival. You have lots of other partners who compete with Samsung. Do you think this is sustainable long term?
Yes, it's a complex ecosystem but we have a pretty simple, neutral agenda. We run Android in a very open way and work closely with all partners. We work with Samsung and I spend a lot of time with them. But we've always supported other partners. Of course, things evolve within an ecosystem, and sometimes people can start seeing patterns and agendas that may not really exist. But we don't strategize, favouring one player over another. So, it's not really an issue for me.
One reason you're supposed to have been put in charge of Android is because of your diplomatic skills. They must come in handy in this complex environment?
We've always taken a long-term view. I believe that partnerships matter. And, all our partners are trying to do the right thing in general. I believe most people try to act out of good intentions. And I genuinely believe in Android's open platform. That helps.
If you were asked to rate Samsung, Apple, Microsoft, Facebook and Amazon on which one could pose the greatest threat or be the biggest disruptor for you, how would you rank them?
Samsung is a valued partner with whom we work closely. The others are all very successful companies with long-term views - a lot like Google. But where we go with Android will have very little to do with what others are doing. Take Android One. We're not worrying about others. We're charting our own course. I don't wake up every morning and ask, 'What are others doing?' It's tough to work that way. Of course, we do overlap in certain markets. We'll compete with these companies in many areas. We'll partner with them in areas that may not be immediately obvious. I hope Microsoft will do Office with Android. We're excited by the success of WhatsApp on top of Android. Amazon brings services like Kindle on top of Android. It's a coopetitive world and a lot more complex than people realize. When you run a platform on scale, you have to make sure it's truly open. That way, not only do you do well, so do others.
How are Google products doing in India?
In Android, we're roughly tripling our user base every year. In core products and services like search, maps, Chrome, YouTube etc India's one of our strongest markets. As far as revenue is concerned, we've no doubt there's huge potential. We wouldn't be doing things like Android One if we didn't think so. With India, it's always been a question of 'when', not 'if' and that's becoming more and more true as time goes on. India is a fast-changing market and we can't afford to take it for granted. We'll have to evolve with it.
At 42, the tall, slight and soft-spoken Sundar Pichai is senior vice-president at Google where he oversees Android, Chrome and Google Apps. He's been rumoured to have been in the running to become Microsoft CEO ("I can't comment on rumours," he says when asked). There's also speculation that he'll lead Google one day. "Larry (Page) is very committed to Google for the long term. So that's a hypothetical question," he replies.
Pichai confesses to not knowing too much about Google's operations in India, though he adds, "I follow India news on the TOI website every day."
Asked if he's aware that he has become a household name in India, he says, "I'm humbled to be in this position of responsibility ... When I come to India, I do feel some of that sentiment and appreciate it. I'm nostalgic but also very excited. India has always had potential but it's now moving to have a big impact. The trends will only go in one direction from here. What strikes me every single time is that the aspirations of Indians are unique and unparalleled. They're very demanding, regardless of background ... Entrepreneurs are beginning to work on unique things. There's a palpable sense of excitement that I'd never noticed before."
The full interview:
You've become a household name for Indian families around the world. Has that made a difference to your life?
Yes and no. I do feel a strong sense of support and backing, though I don't always necessarily know all these people. I'm humbled to be in this position of responsibility where I can do stuff that I feel passionate about, and which can impact so many lives. It's a privilege I cherish. But it hasn't really affected my day-to-day life. I'm very busy in the same way I have been for years.
Still, when I come to India, I do feel some of that sentiment and appreciate it. I'm nostalgic but also very excited. India has always had potential but it's now moving to have a big impact. The trends will only go in one direction from here. What strikes me every single time is that the aspirations of Indians are unique and unparalleled. They're very demanding, regardless of background.
At Google, we feel that India will be the biggest source of growth for Android for years to come. The scale of what we can accomplish here is huge. Things like Android One (which aims at providing affordable smart phones) have been conceived with India in mind. We want to do it right here and then use that as a template to take it outside.
How does it feel to be described as the most powerful man in mobile?
There are many powerful men and women in mobile. I'm fortunate to be part of that group. By no means do I think I'm the most powerful person. But that article did make for good reading (laughs).The Android ecosystem is almost Machiavellian. You have a powerful ally in Samsung, potentially a major rival. You have lots of other partners who compete with Samsung. Do you think this is sustainable long term?
Yes, it's a complex ecosystem but we have a pretty simple, neutral agenda. We run Android in a very open way and work closely with all partners. We work with Samsung and I spend a lot of time with them. But we've always supported other partners. Of course, things evolve within an ecosystem, and sometimes people can start seeing patterns and agendas that may not really exist. But we don't strategize, favouring one player over another. So, it's not really an issue for me.
One reason you're supposed to have been put in charge of Android is because of your diplomatic skills. They must come in handy in this complex environment?
We've always taken a long-term view. I believe that partnerships matter. And, all our partners are trying to do the right thing in general. I believe most people try to act out of good intentions. And I genuinely believe in Android's open platform. That helps.
If you were asked to rate Samsung, Apple, Microsoft, Facebook and Amazon on which one could pose the greatest threat or be the biggest disruptor for you, how would you rank them?
Samsung is a valued partner with whom we work closely. The others are all very successful companies with long-term views - a lot like Google. But where we go with Android will have very little to do with what others are doing. Take Android One. We're not worrying about others. We're charting our own course. I don't wake up every morning and ask, 'What are others doing?' It's tough to work that way. Of course, we do overlap in certain markets. We'll compete with these companies in many areas. We'll partner with them in areas that may not be immediately obvious. I hope Microsoft will do Office with Android. We're excited by the success of WhatsApp on top of Android. Amazon brings services like Kindle on top of Android. It's a coopetitive world and a lot more complex than people realize. When you run a platform on scale, you have to make sure it's truly open. That way, not only do you do well, so do others.
How are Google products doing in India?
In Android, we're roughly tripling our user base every year. In core products and services like search, maps, Chrome, YouTube etc India's one of our strongest markets. As far as revenue is concerned, we've no doubt there's huge potential. We wouldn't be doing things like Android One if we didn't think so. With India, it's always been a question of 'when', not 'if' and that's becoming more and more true as time goes on. India is a fast-changing market and we can't afford to take it for granted. We'll have to evolve with it.
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