Technology is ever-evolving, and so are Asian American leaders as they have risen to the top in large-scale companies (Google, Microsoft, and Zoom). Asian American leaders have played an integral role in truly changing the game for the future of technology businesses.
Google CEO: Sundar Pichai
Sundar Pichai was born in 1972 in Tamil Nadu, India. He completed a majority of his schooling in India, attending IIT (Indian Institute of Technology) Kharagpur, which is amongst the most prestigious universities in India. Sundar then came to the United States to complete his Masters in Material Science and Engineering at Stanford University, and his MBA at the University of Pennsylvania. After some experience in product management, he was appointed as a manager at Google in 2004. Pichai and his team were heavily involved in the development of Google Chrome – currently the most-used web browser. He is recognized for his ability to build strong teams that work together and add to each other’s ideas, instead of invalidating one another. In addition, his outstanding decision-making skills have largely contributed to numerous Google products’ success launched under his leadership. Sundar Pichai is now CEO of both Google and Alphabet Inc. (the parent company of Google).
Microsoft CEO: Satya Nadella
Satya Nadella was born in 1967 in Hyderabad, India. He spent most of his childhood in Hyderabad, and received his undergraduate degree at Mangalore University for electrical engineering. When he moved to the United States he completed his Masters in Computer Science at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. Following a short tenure at Sun Microsystems Inc., Nadella joined Microsoft. His journey up the corporate ladder was stable, yet groundbreaking every step of the way. When he was appointed the title of CEO, Microsoft was reasonably behind its competitors in the advancement of their products. However, Nadella was not one to back down from a challenge. He integrated the cloud-computing platform which transformed the company like never before, incorporating Office 365, Bing, and Xbox Live. This cloud-computing platform streamlined Microsoft to beat Google in revenues, Netflix in subscribers, and pushed Google’s net value to the trillion dollar mark. Satya Nadella’s “best career advice” is the philosophy he lives by: “Don’t wait for your next job to do your best work.”
Zoom Founder & CEO: Eric Yuan
Eric Yuan was born in 1970 in Taian, China. He lived in China until he was 27 years old, attending China Shandong University of Science and Technology for his undergraduate degree, and University of Mining and Tech for his Masters. Before arriving in Silicon Valley in 1997, his visa applications were denied 8 times in a row. Regardless, Yuan did not give up, and at his 9th attempt he was successful. Along his early corporate journey, he completed an MBA at Stanford Business School in 2006. Zoom was undeniably one of the most vital resources during the Covid-19 pandemic, and it has continued to remain a staple in communications to this day, especially in education and corporate settings. Zoom has increased the productivity of working from home, making work more convenient in stringent situations. It has allowed many universities to offer online courses and degrees, making education more accessible. Eric Yuan’s resilience created a company that has created a whole new world of communication, maintaining and strengthening personal bonds even during the largest global pandemic.
These Asian American leaders’ consistent determination, innovation, and competence has completely revolutionized the way we interact with the digital world. Disrupting cultural barriers, societal expectations, and stereotypes, they have defied the odds; inspiring generations to come.