Sundar Pichai (CEO, Google & Alphabet), in the presence of his family, was awarded the most prestigious civilian award Padma Bhushan on 2nd December 2022. He received this award in San Francisco from Taranjit Singh Sandhu (India’s ambassador to the US).
Mr. Sandhu took to Twitter and expressed his thoughts and wrote, “Sundar’s inspirational journey from Madurai to Mountain View, strengthening India and US economic and technology ties, reaffirms Indian talent’s contribution to global innovation.”
To this, Sundar Pichai said, “I want to thank Ambassador Sandhu and Consul General Prasad for hosting me to receive the Padma Bhushan.” Further, the Google CEO continued, “I am deeply grateful to the Indian government and the people of India for this immense honour.”
One of the most esteemed and third-highest civilian honors in India is the Padma Bhushan. Pichai received it for making significant changes to business and industry.
Further, Pichai also discusses his upbringing in a family that valued education and knowledge. He also praises the Indian Prime Minister’s aim for a “Digital India,” saying that the country’s rapid technical advancement astounds him.
Google recently declared its plan to invest $10 bn in India’s ‘digital future’, with the goal of “working to enable more affordable internet access, building products for India’s unique needs, supporting businesses of all sizes in their digital transformation, and using AI to table big societal changes.”