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Google Paid $100 Million to Retain Indian-American Executive Neal Mohan

In 2011, Google offered Neal Mohan a $100 million retention package amid competition from Twitter, where executives sought to recruit him as Chief Product Officer. Mohan, a pivotal figure in Google's advertising and YouTube product strategy, remained with Google and today serves as YouTube's CEO. This move highlights the intense talent contest in the tech sector.

Google Paid $100 Million to Retain Indian-American Executive Neal Mohan

New Delhi: Over a decade ago, Google invested $100 million to retain Indian-American executive Neal Mohan amid a competitive talent war with Twitter, now rebranded as X. This significant revelation emerged during a recent episode of Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath's podcast, highlighting Mohan's critical role in Google's advertising and YouTube product strategy in 2011.

At the time, Neal Mohan was instrumental in shaping Google’s advertising ecosystem and steering YouTube’s product development. Kamath recalled, "I remember reading about Google offering you $100 million not to quit. Not today, but 15 years ago, which was a lot of money." Mohan neither confirmed nor denied the account but acknowledged its significance.

Reports indicate that Google's retention package was structured as restricted stock units vesting over several years, designed to prevent Mohan from joining Twitter, where his former manager David Rosenblatt had recently joined the board and was actively recruiting him for the role of Chief Product Officer.

Neal Mohan holds an electrical engineering degree from Stanford University. His professional journey began at Andersen Consulting (now Accenture) before he joined NetGravity, a startup later acquired by DoubleClick. Rising through the ranks, Mohan became Vice President of Business Operations at DoubleClick. When Google acquired DoubleClick for $3.1 billion in 2007, Mohan assumed a pivotal role within Google's advertising division.

By 2011, Mohan had become a central figure in Google’s product strategy, particularly influencing YouTube’s growth trajectory. Recognizing his strategic importance, Google’s $100 million offer proved crucial in retaining him, securing his contributions to the company’s long-term success.

Simultaneously, Twitter pursued other key Google executives, including Sundar Pichai, then head of Chrome and Chrome OS. To counteract Twitter’s efforts, Google reportedly granted Pichai $50 million in stock, ensuring his continued leadership. Today, Mohan serves as YouTube’s CEO, succeeding Susan Wojcicki in 2023, while Sundar Pichai leads Google as CEO and Alphabet Inc as its parent company’s CEO.

This episode underscores the intense competition within the tech industry to secure top talent and highlights the strategic importance of key executives in shaping industry-leading platforms.

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