Gain access to the Editorial Summary without cost
Roula Khalaf, the FT’s Editor, curates her preferred narratives in this weekly bulletin.
Google has augmented Sundar Pichai’s overall prospective remuneration to $692 million across the coming three years, rendering him among the highest-compensated chief executives globally.
The predominant portion of Pichai’s compensation arrangement comprises incentive share units, holding an intended worth of $126 million, equally divided into two installments, as declared by the corporation on Friday. These PSUs are appraised based on parent company Alphabet’s overall investor yield when compared with the remainder of the S&P 100, with the potential to disburse up to double the intended amount, or $252 million, if it considerably exceeds expectations, or yield nothing should it fall short.
The Chief Executive will additionally receive $84 million in limited shares over the forthcoming three-year period, accruing approximately on a monthly basis, stipulated upon his continued tenure with the corporation, alongside a yearly compensation of $2 million.
Google incorporated two new share-based incentives, valued at up to $350 million, connected to the expansion of its Waymo autonomous vehicle division and Wing unmanned aerial vehicle delivery venture.
Pichai will be granted shares in Waymo with an intended valuation of $130 million, and $45 million in Wing Aviation equities, determined by their “just valuation” in three years’ time. Furthermore, each has the capacity to yield up to 200 percent of the objective.
This bestows upon the Chief Executive a highest potential disbursement of $692 million, should he surpass projections, with a minimum sum of $391 million in equities and remuneration.
Alphabet’s governing body stated: “Waymo and Wing are addressing colossal obstacles in self-governing transportation and conveyance, having demonstrated substantial advancement under Mr. Pichai’s oversight. Providing additional motivation for Mr. Pichai . . . serves the paramount interests of Alphabet and its investors.”
Since Pichai assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer in August of 2015, Google’s market valuation has expanded nearly seven times, from $535 billion to $3.6 trillion, momentarily surpassing $4 trillion in January. This rapid expansion has rendered the native to India, 53-year-old ex-McKinsey advisor, a magnate.
He commenced his tenure in 2004 and gained recognition for crafting the Chrome web browser and spearheading the Android department. He had faced criticism for his tardiness in embracing AI within the search behemoth — enabling OpenAI to unveil the initial successful offering, ChatGPT, in late 2022 — but has subsequently recovered, unveiling advanced AI constructs and incorporating the innovation into its preeminent search platform.
Pichai has also successfully managed two antitrust proceedings initiated against Google’s search and application marketplace operations, circumventing the direst outcomes of mandatory dissolution. An additional legal action is awaiting resolution concerning its advertising ecosystem.
Pichai last received a share grant in December of 2022, valued at $218 million, which was configured identically. His total remuneration is supplemented by his private security expenditures, which ascended to $8.3 million in 2024, according to the latest public disclosure.
Earlier in this week, Pichai divested 32,500 class C equities at an average valuation of $303, approximating $9.8 million. The Bloomberg index for billionaires calculates he has disposed of around $650 million in shares since assuming the CEO role.
He, alongside his spouse Anjali, possess a cumulative total of 1.67 million Google equities, valued at $498 million per Friday’s $298 share rate, as per official submissions.
The originators of Google, Sergey Brin and Larry Page, still retain command of the corporation via their possession of “superior-voting” class B shares, which grants them 56 percent of the authority to make decisions.
Microsoft’s lead executive Satya Nadella acquired $96.5 million during the firm’s fiscal year 2025, with approximately $84 million stemming from share grants. This sum represented an increase from $48.5 million in the preceding year. Apple’s head Tim Cook obtained $74.3 million in 2025.