Google CEO Sundar Pichai’s pay package for 2024 revealed: Salary, stock awards, and more

Sundar Pichai

Ever wondered how much the CEOs of the biggest tech giants actually earn? Well, if you’ve been curious, Alphabet has lifted the veil on Sundar Pichai’s 2024 paycheck. While it may not be the eye-popping $226 million he made back in 2022, it’s still pretty impressive. According to Alphabet’s 2025 Proxy Statement, Pichai took home $10.73 million last year, a nice jump from the $8.8 million he earned in 2023.

So, what makes up Pichai’s compensation package? Well, the bulk of it came from stock awards and other forms of compensation, but the most interesting part is his base salary, which sits at $2 million. That’s a solid paycheck by anyone’s standards, but what caught everyone’s attention was the company’s spending on his personal security.

Alphabet shelled out a whopping $8.27 million to keep Pichai safe, which marks a 22% increase over the $6.78 million spent the year before. And no, this isn’t a luxury perk—this cost is tied directly to Pichai’s high-profile position and the safety risks that come with it.

The security package covers everything from home surveillance to travel protection and even personal drivers. Alphabet points out that this is not considered a personal benefit for Pichai, it’s simply a necessary part of the job, considering the risks associated with being the leader of one of the world’s most influential tech companies.

Interestingly in 2022, Pichai’s compensation was massively inflated by a $226 million stock grant linked to performance goals. This windfall came just before Alphabet’s layoffs in 2023, which sparked criticism about the company’s pay practices during a time of restructuring and job cuts. Fast forward to 2024, and the pay package is much more modest, but the conversation about compensation inequality remains as relevant as ever.

Here’s where things get even more interesting. The average full-time Google employee earned $331,894 last year—up 5% from 2023. That’s a nice bump, but it’s still nowhere near what Pichai made.

In fact, the CEO’s pay is about 32 times the average employee’s salary. While some argue this is fair, given his role steering the company through challenges like AI growth, regulatory scrutiny, and cloud expansion, others continue to question the widening gap between top executives and regular employees.