Heartfelt thanks! Tweets Sundar Pichai over overwhelming response

Sundar Pichai is a happy man and says, Thanks! The IIT Kharagpur alumnus, who became the third chief executive officer of Google, has expressed gratitude over the deluge of wishes extended to him after his elevation in the company.

India-born Pichai, 43, tweeted: "Its been overwhelming to see such generous and warm responses from many dear friends, colleagues and strangers - heartfelt thanks."

Pichai is only the third chief executive of the technology giant after Google’s executive chairman Eric Schmidt and cofounder Larry Page.

Schmidt became the company CEO in August 2001 and remained in the role till January 2011 when Page took over as the CEO.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella were among the scores of dignitaries who congratulated him on the micro-blogging site when he was named to be the next CEO.

Pichai had said he hopes to meet Modi soon as he thanked the Indian leader for his wishes.

Pichai got his B.Tech from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur and holds an MS in Engineering and Materials Science from Stanford University and an MBA from the Wharton School.

In 2004, he joined Google as its vice president of product management, where he led the team working on Google's Chrome browser and operating system. His alma mater Wharton had also tweeted on his promotion.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan tweeted: "Remarkable success of @sundarpichai will inspire youth across the country to work towards their chosen goals with more dedication and zeal."

Bret Taylor, co-creator of Google Maps, ex-CTO of Facebook and Co-Founder of technology Quip also congratulated Pichai, the first non-white CEO, on Twitter.

(Image: Reuters)