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Google paid $100 million to retain this Indian-American executive. No, not Sundar Pichai
In 2011, this Indian-American executive received a staggering $100 million to remain with Google, later becoming YouTube's CEO.
Neal Mohan isn’t a household name, but in Silicon Valley, he is known as the man who shaped the digital advertising landscape and YouTube’s product roadmap. The Indian-American executive has long preferred to stay behind the scenes, quietly executing strategies that helped Google and YouTube become global powerhouses.
However, Neal Mohan recently sat down with Nikhil Kamath for a podcast where the host referred to a little-known fact about the CEO of YouTube. Kamath revealed that Google once paid $100 million to retain Neal Mohan so he would not join Twitter (now called X).
Neal Mohan became the centre of a high-stakes talent tug-of-war between Google and Twitter in 2011. The war ended with a jaw-dropping $100 million stock grant.
The early days: Stanford to DoubleClick
After graduating from Stanford in 1996 with a degree in electrical engineering, Mohan began his career at Andersen Consulting (now Accenture). A year later, he joined a small startup called NetGravity, which was later acquired by DoubleClick. and Mohan’s real journey began.
At DoubleClick, Neal Mohan rose quickly through the ranks - moving from services to sales operations to eventually becoming Vice President, Business Operations. His talent and product instincts caught the attention of David Rosenblatt, who would later play an important role in Mohan’s career.
When DoubleClick hit troubled waters, the two crafted a new vision for the company. Their efforts paid off handsomely when Google acquired DoubleClick in 2007 for $3.1 billion, reported Business Insider.
$100 million reasons to stay
By 2011, Mohan had become instrumental in shaping Google’s advertising products and was deeply involved in YouTube’s product development as Chief Product Officer. His reputation in Silicon Valley had soared.
At the same time, Twitter was struggling to evolve into a mature business. Rosenblatt had joined the board of Twitter and wanted to rope in Mohan as its chief product officer.
Google wasn’t going to let Mohan go without a fight. In a dramatic counter-offer, the company offered him more than $100 million in restricted stock units — a package designed to vest over several years, reported TechCrunch.
The rest, as they say, is history. Neal Mohan went on to become the CEO of Google-owned YouTube and remains a valuable member of the Google family.
