Google has ramped up the potential pay for CEO Sundar Pichai to a staggering $692 million over the next three years. This move solidifies his status as one of the highest-paid executives globally.
A significant portion of Pichai’s pay comes from performance stock units (PSUs). These are tied to Alphabet’s overall shareholder returns compared to the S&P 100 and could potentially double his expected payout of $126 million. If Alphabet excels, he could earn as much as $252 million. If it doesn’t, he may receive nothing.
In addition to stock units, Pichai will earn $84 million in restricted stock, which vests monthly as long as he remains with the company, along with a steady annual salary of $2 million.
Google has also added stock incentives tied to its ambitious Waymo and Wing projects, worth up to $350 million. Pichai stands to gain $130 million in Waymo stock and $45 million in Wing shares over three years. Like the PSUs, these stocks can pay out significantly more if the companies perform well.
If all goes according to plan, his total pay could reach $692 million; if not, he has a guaranteed baseline of around $391 million.
Alphabet’s board believes this compensation strategy encourages Pichai to keep pushing innovation in autonomous driving and delivery solutions, which are vital for the company’s future growth.
Since Pichai became CEO in 2015, Google’s market capital has skyrocketed from $535 billion to about $3.6 trillion. This growth has transformed him into a billionaire, thanks to his work on products like the Chrome browser and Android division.
Despite earlier criticism for falling behind in artificial intelligence compared to competitors, Pichai has since led Google to release advanced AI models and integrate these technologies into its core services.
He’s also dealt with multiple antitrust cases against Google, successfully navigating challenges to avoid severe penalties like a business breakup. However, a new lawsuit involving the advertising network is still pending.
Pichai last received a stock award in December 2022, valued at $218 million. He has also sold substantial stock, amounting to about $650 million since taking the helm.
His family holds 1.67 million shares in Google, worth nearly $498 million based on recent stock prices. The control of Google, however, still rests primarily with its founders, Sergey Brin and Larry Page, thanks to their special class of stock that gives them a majority decision-making power.
In comparison, other tech CEOs are also seeing substantial compensation. Microsoft’s Satya Nadella earned $96.5 million in 2025, with most of that from stock awards, while Apple’s Tim Cook made $74.3 million.
This landscape of executive pay reflects the high-stakes competition in the tech sector, where visionary leadership is crucial for driving innovation and shareholder value.
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