Sundar Pichai Motivational Speech_Startup Stories

Sundar Pichai Motivational Speech_Startup Stories

Let me tell you a little bit about my personal journey to Silicon Valley from India, 22 years ago.

Growing up in India, like many of you, I got my first telephone when I was 12.

In my case, it turned out to be a rotary phone, so it wasn't that great for selfies.

But I still loved to call my friends, play with it and sometimes take it apart. That telephone cemented my fascination with technology.

I remember in my parent's house in Chennai, reading about the invention of the transistor at Bell Labs.

Of course, that initial invention helped found what became known as Silicon Valley and out of that

came companies like Fairchild Semiconductor and Intel and all the computers and software, that we all use today.

You can draw a direct line from that invention to the technology, that powers your Twitter feed or your We Chat messages today.

A lot of times when I was younger, you know people would say, you know this person didn't get into this college or something and that is the end of the road. 

I mean life is so different from that, and so I think it is important to you know, keep your hopes, keep your dreams and try to follow them and you know I think, most of how life plays out is up to you, not up to what happens outside of you.

I think it's important to keep that in mind and take the long term view. I still vividly remember as a teenager, jumping on to a crowded train. At Chennai and travelling for 24 hours, to attend my school at IIT Kharagpur and that opportunity changed the course of my life.

You want to aim high enough that you fail, you know a few times. I think it is the natural part of the process. In fact, Larry used to say if you work on really difficult things, you are better off because you have no competition, others aren't working on that difficult a problem. And even if you fail, you end up doing something great in the process.

I think you know, working the real world I would say, it is important to be well rounded,

it is important to try different things, or you know take some risks, you know, I would encourage people to follow their passions a little bit more.

 To follow set lanes throughout your career.

Getting into an elite institution doesn't guarantee success, it matters a lot but it doesn't guarantee success.

And I think it is important to keep that perspective in life and life is a long road, and you know, you want to take it in the right place and enjoy what you are doing.

I know how much hard work it takes to pursue your dream of building a business.

The long hours, time away from family, the ideas you know are brilliant, that just don't seem to catch on. I remember reading about that and thinking, it's the idea that matters.

It didn't matter where you come from or what your background is.

One revolutionary idea, one brilliant invention can unleash other entrepreneurs to revolutionize, industries and ways you could never predict.