Sundar Pichai pay hike: Google grants Indian-origin CEO new ₹63,61,79,82,000 pay deal

Technology giant Google has increased CEO Sundar Pichai’s total potential compensation to $692 million ( ₹6,361 crore) over the next three years, making him one of the highest-paid chief executives in the world.

A major portion of Pichai’s package comes in performance stock units (PSUs) with a target value of $126 million, divided evenly into two tranches, according to a SEC filing. These stock awards are performance-linked, meaning their final value depends on how well Alphabet performs for shareholders.

A while back, Elon Musk's compensation package also drew global attention. In November 2025, shareholders of Tesla approved a new performance-based pay plan for the CEO that could be worth up to $1 trillion over the next 10 years.

How will the PSUs be valued?

The PSUs are measured by comparing parent company Alphabet's total shareholder return with other companies in the S&P 100.

If Alphabet significantly outperforms its peers, the PSUs could pay up to twice the target amount, or $252 million. But if the company lags, the payout could even fall to zero.

The Indian-origin chief executive will also receive $84 million in restricted stock over the next three years, vesting roughly on a monthly basis as long as he remains at the company. In addition, he will continue to draw an annual salary of $2 million.

Stock incentives linked to Waymo and Wing's growth

As part of the pay package, Google has added two new stock incentives worth as much as $350 million, linked to the growth of its self-driving taxi arm, Waymo, and drone delivery start-up Wing.

Pichai will receive shares in Waymo with a target value of $130 million and $45 million in Wing Aviation stock, based on their “fair value”, in the next three years. Again, both can pay out up to 200% of the target value if the performance goals tied to the businesses are met or exceeded.

In that case, the CEO can receive as much as $692 million, with a baseline of $391 million in stock and salary.

Pichai took over as Google's chief executive in August 2015. Since then, the company's market capitalisation has increased nearly sevenfold from $535 billion to $3.6 trillion, briefly crossing $4 trillion in January, according to FT.

This sharp increase in the company's valuation has also boosted Pichai's personal wealth, making the 53-year-old former McKinsey consultant a billionaire. His current net worth is $1.5 billion, according to Forbes.

Meanwhile, Pichai and his wife Anjali collectively own 1.67 million Google shares, valued at $498 million based on the company's Friday closing stock price of $298, according to regulatory filings.

(With wire inputs)