Up to $692 million: Google boss could hit the jackpot over the next three years

Sundar Pichai could become one of the highest paid bosses in the world within three years. Under a new compensation plan published Friday by the American market regulator, the SEC, the boss of Google and its parent company Alphabet could in fact earn up to $692 million over the next three years.

Only $6 million, or $2 million per year, is allocated to him as salary, which is unchanged since 2020. But his remuneration is not limited to that. The balance will be paid to it in the form of Alphabet shares, but also of two subsidiaries, the autonomous vehicle specialist Waymo and the drone delivery specialist Wing. Their allocation will depend on the evolution of the price of these shares as well as, for Alphabet, the amount of dividends paid.

In the event of dismissal for misconduct, Sundar Pichai would lose the benefit of all stock options which are not yet exercisable, the document specifies. “The incentive system integrated, currently and in the past, into Mr. Pichai’s compensation has significantly benefited Alphabet and its shareholders,” argued the compensation committee of Alphabet’s board of directors.

The fifty-year-old, general manager of Google since 2015 and of Alphabet since 2019, is however not expected to reach the heights promised to Elon Musk. At the beginning of November, Tesla shareholders validated a compensation plan that could reach nearly 1,000 billion over ten years.