From 350 sqft flat in India to $25 million pay package: HubSpot CEO credits mother for success

Yamini Rangan leads HubSpot, a $20 billion software company whose revenue surged during the pandemic‑driven digitalisation wave. (Image credit: Hubspot)

HubSpot CEO Yamini Rangan has built one of the most striking career trajectories in the global tech industry — rising from a 350‑sq‑ft home in South India to earning nearly $26 million a year as one of the highest‑paid Indian‑origin CEOs in the United States. Sharing her story on The Grit podcast, Rangan revealed that she owes her success to discipline, ambition, as well as some unconventional routines.

Growing up in a tiny apartment with her parents and older sister shaped her ambition and values, Fortune quoted her as saying. She credited her mother for inspiring her to imagine a bigger life — urging her to become a pioneer in whichever field she chose, whether law, engineering, or medicine. She wanted Rangan to “do something really cool". This early environment, Rangan said, instilled resilience and resourcefulness long before she entered the corporate world.

After studying computer engineering at Bharathiar University, she moved to the US at 21 to pursue an MBA from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business — the pivot that launched her into Silicon Valley’s high‑velocity tech ecosystem.

Today, Rangan leads HubSpot, a $20 billion software company whose revenue surged during the pandemic‑driven digitalisation wave. She earns close to $26 million annually, placing her alongside Indian‑origin corporate heavyweights such as Palo Alto Networks CEO Nikesh Arora.

But her success comes with a gruelling routine. Rangan begins her weekdays at 6 am, is on calls by 7 am, and often works until 11 pm. She avoids burnout by strictly keeping Saturdays work‑free, spending the day with her husband Kash (a Goldman Sachs managing director), walking, doing yoga, meditating and reading.

But, Sundays — dreaded by most workers — are her personal workday. She spends the day planning, writing and scheduling emails that land in inboxes early Monday morning. “I enjoy it because it’s my time,” she said, explaining that the structure helps her enter the week fully prepared.

Despite her multi‑million‑dollar salary, Rangan works to keep her two teenage sons connected to their roots. She takes them to India every few years to show where she and her husband grew up and brings them to visit a local orphanage they support. “It is to figure out how you can actually have a broader impact,” she said.