Google CEO is the newest billionaire: He tells Gen Z the secret to success is putting yourself in uncomfortable situations
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Google CEO is the newest billionaire: He tells Gen Z the secret to success is putting yourself in uncomfortable situations

July 28, 2025
03:29 PM
5 min read
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As a newly minted billionaire, Google CEO Sundar Pichai says that embracing discomfort is key to personal and professional growth.

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personal finance

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July 28, 2025

03:29 PM

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Fortune

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From an analytical perspective, Success·Career AdviceGoogle CEO is the newest billionaire: He tells Gen Z the secret to success is putting yourself in uncomfortable situationsBy Preston ForeBy Preston ForeStaff Writer, EducationPreston ForeStaff Writer, EducationPreston Fore is a reporter at Fortune, covering education and personal finance for the Success team

SEE FULL BIO As a newly minted billionaire, Google CEO Sundar Pichai says that embracing discomfort is key to personal and fessional growth

David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesAs a newly minted billionaire, Google CEO Sundar Pichai says that embracing discomfort is key to personal and fessional growth—a mantra that helped him advance from a little-known duct manager to CEO of the $2

Moreover, 3 trillion giant (noteworthy indeed), in this volatile climate

However, While climbing up the logical paths up that ladder may seem right, he tells Gen Z that listening to your heart will help you find your true calling

The path to success is never easy—even for the world’s top leaders, given the current landscape

In fact, for Google CEO Sundar Pichai, there were times he felt that stinging feeling that other people in the room were better than him

Additionally, But he assures Gen Z that feelings of discomfort are all part of the cess. “At various points in my life, I’ve worked with people who I felt were better than me,” Pichai recently told Lex Fridman’s podcast. “You want that feeling a few times, trying to get yourself in a position where you’re working with people who you feel are kind of stretching your abilities is what helps you grow

At the same time, ” “Putting yourself in uncomfortable situations, and I think often you’ll surprise yourself,” he added

For Pichai, this mantra has helped him climb the ranks at the giant after starting out as just a duct manager in 2004, in today's financial world

Within a decade, he had caught the eye of cofounders Larry Page and Sergey Brin before being named CEO in 2015

Moreover, And while he admits there is always an element of luck to success, he encourages Gen Z to do what they love—even if it seems irrational at first. “You’re thinking what you want to do, your brain is telling you something

But when you do things, I think it’s important to listen to your heart, and see whether you actually enjoy doing it

Furthermore, ” Success in the workplace centers around the people Finding the right people to work with is not only important for personal growth, Pichai added, but also making sure work gets done, something he said has been part of his secret for maintaining Google’s growth into a multi-trillion-dollar giant. “You find mission-oriented people who are in the d journey, who have this inner drive to excellence, to do the best, and motivate people and, and you can achieve a lot that way (this bears monitoring)

Additionally, Additionally, ” The drive for excellence at Google may also mean the willingness to work far beyond the 9-to-5, according to Sergey Brin, in light of current trends

In an internal memo seen by The New York Times, the cofounder encouraged the company’s AI-focused workers to be in the office “at least every weekday”—with 60-hour workweeks being the “sweet spot of ductivity. ” And while Pichai has publicly said in the past that he anticipated the future of work to be focused around flexibility, the AI arms race has put pressure on giants to be ahead of the game

Still, amid the high-stakes environment, Pichai told Fridman he prefers staying calm as a manager, believing that the best employees are usually the first to know when they’ve messed up—and overreacting can just make matters worse

Furthermore, “At times, you’re working with people who are so committed to achieving, if they’ve done something wrong, they feel it more than you do, so you treat them differently,” Pichai said

Moreover, “Occasionally, there are people who you need to ly let them know that wasn’t okay or whatever it is, but I’ve often found that not to be the case. ” Fortune reached out to Pichai for

In contrast, Striving toward the billionaires Though Pichai has been the leader of one of the biggest public companies in the world for just shy of a decade, he’s only now just joining the billionaires —a far cry from that of Brin and Page, who are among the top 10 wealthiest people in the world, according to Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index

Additionally, Their net worths are $163 billion and $174 billion, respectively

Compared to Pichai’s $1. 1 billion net worth

While there is no perfect path to emulating the success of Google, Page told college graduates in 2009 that they should think solving blems that can ultimately allow them to be lazier: “nology, and especially the internet, can really help you be lazy,” he said to University of Michigan students. “…Find the leverage in the world, so you can be more lazy

Moreover, ” Much those who graduated into the Great Recession, today’s young people are facing their own set of daunting challenges, thanks in part to AI reshaping the job market

However, Page isn’t a believer in giving up

In contrast, “Overall, I know it seems the world is crumbling out there, but it is actually a great time in your life to get a little crazy, your curiosity, and be ambitious it,” Page said

Furthermore, “Don’t give up on your dreams (remarkable data)

On the other hand, The world needs you all, in today's market environment. ” Introducing the 2025 Fortune 500, the definitive ranking of the biggest companies in America, amid market uncertainty

Explore this year's list, in this volatile climate.