I’m An American Citizen But India is Deeply Within Me: Google’s Sundar Pichai

When asked about whether the Chinese model of the internet based on surveillance is in the ascendant, the tech boss asserted that the free and open internet 'is being attacked'.

New Delhi: “I’m an American citizen but India is deeply within me”, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, who was born in Tamil Nadu and grew up in Chennai, said in a recent interview talking about his roots. When asked about whether the Chinese model of the internet based on surveillance is in the ascendant, the tech boss asserted that the free and open internet ‘is being attacked’. Though Pichai didn’t refer to Beijing directly, he said, “None of our major products and services are available in China.”

Speaking about the controversial issue of tax, Pichai said,”We are one of the world’s largest taxpayers, if you look at on an average over the last decade, we have paid over 20 per cent in taxes. We do pay the majority of our share of taxes in the US, where we originate and where our products are developed. I think there are good conversations and we support the global OECD conversations figuring out what is the right way to allocate taxes, this is beyond a single company to solve.”

Covering a wide range of topics, Pichai narrowed down two developments that he feels will further revolutionise the world over the next quarter of a century as artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computing.

“I view artificial intelligence as the most profound technology that humanity will ever develop and work on. You know, if you think about fire or electricity or the internet, it’s like that. But I think even more profound,” said Pichai, the CEO of Google and its parent company Alphabet.

(With PTI Inputs)