Before Google CEO Sundar Pichai became the leader of the technology giant now valued at $4.5 trillion, he had to prove his worth as a leader — starting with a browser that almost no one believed in.
When Chrome launched in 2008, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer dominated the industry, with around 60% of global browser usage thanks to it being the default on Windows computers.
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Convincing users to switch browsers was a huge challenge. So when then-Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer was asked about the competitive landscape the following year, he barely considered Chrome worth mentioning.
“The most successful by far is Firefox. Chrome is, so far, insignificant. Safari is, so far, insignificant,” Ballmer said in an interview with TechCrunch in 2009. “…We’re going to have to compete with all our might and see where it goes.”
For Pichai, the comment turned into a leadership test.
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“It could have been discouraging,” Pichai recalled last week, during a commencement speech to Stanford University graduates. “But with that Californian optimism, I told the team that the fact that he made a point of belittling us meant we were doing something right.”
The launch of Chrome had generated some initial momentum, but according to Pichai himself, user growth began to lose momentum and market share remained stubbornly at just a few percentage points. Instead of retreating, the team accelerated even more.
“We move forward, setting ambitious goals to keep the team moving forward,” said Pichai. “We made improvements quickly, releasing a new version of the browser every six weeks, while others released one perhaps every six months or even a year. Success began to appear.”
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Pichai’s lesson: say yes to difficult challenges
The persistence of Pichai and his team paid off. In 2012, Chrome overtook its rivals to become the most used browser in the world, helping to cement Pichai’s reputation within Google and paving the way for his rise to CEO.
Today, Chrome has an even greater dominance in the browser market than Microsoft’s Internet Explorer had when Ballmer called it “insignificant.”
This experience continues to shape the advice Pichai gives to young people entering the workforce. Instead of pursuing what others expect of them, he encourages graduates to pursue ambitious challenges — even when success seems distant.
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“Working on difficult things has taught me a lot: It usually attracts other great, optimistic people. And even if you don’t reach the lofty goals you set, you will still have accomplished something great,” Pichai told the Stanford graduates.
“So when you have the option to work on something difficult, say yes,” he added.
Pichai also encouraged Gen Z not to let outside expectations determine their future, in the same way he refused to let Ballmer’s criticism define Chrome’s prospects.
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“When looking at your own path, don’t focus on what your parents want you to do, or what all your friends are doing, or what society expects of you,” Pichai said. “Instead, think about the things that make you talk excitedly to your roommates late into the night. And do those things.”
Other CEOs encourage embracing challenging projects
Although parts of Pichai’s commencement speech were overshadowed by student protests over Google’s ties to the Israeli government and defense firm Palantir, his message about embracing challenging work echoed advice given by several other corporate leaders to the Class of 2026.
Speaking at the MIT commencement ceremony, AMD CEO Lisa Su argued that technical skills alone will not define the next generation of leaders.
“The world doesn’t just need people who know how to use powerful tools; it needs people who know what to use them for, people with purpose, discernment and courage,” said Su.
According to the leader of the semiconductor manufacturer, the next people capable of driving change are those who look at a difficult problem and say, “I know this is really really important and we can solve it.”
Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian reinforced this theme in his speech to Emory University graduates, arguing that character is shaped by difficult decisions, not easy victories.
“Character doesn’t reveal itself when life is easy. Character reveals itself when times and decisions are difficult. Oftentimes, doing the right thing comes at a cost. But I always prefer to think of it as an investment — a smart investment,” he said.
While shortcuts may emerge throughout a career, he said, they rarely produce lasting results.
“Throughout my career, I have had to make many important decisions and I must admit that taking a shortcut or taking the easy way out can sometimes be quite tempting,” added Bastian.
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