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Neal Mohan, YouTube CEO, redefined digital advertising. Google paid $100 million in 2011 to keep him from joining Twitter. His career began at NetGravity, leading to Google.
Neal Mohan, the CEO of YouTube, once thought about joining Twitter. (Photo Credit: YouTube)
The public may not widely recognise Neal Mohan, but within Silicon Valley, he’s credited with redefining digital advertising and steering YouTube’s product vision. The Indian-American tech leader has consistently stayed out of the spotlight, strategically driving initiatives that turned Google and YouTube into dominant global forces.
Recently, Neal Mohan made a rare podcast appearance with Nikhil Kamath, co-founder of Zerodha, where an interesting detail about the YouTube CEO came to light. Kamath shared that Google had once shelled out a staggering $100 million to keep Mohan from leaving the company for Twitter (now known as X).
In 2011, Neal Mohan found himself at the heart of an intense talent battle between Google and Twitter. The rivalry concluded with Google offering him a staggering $100 million in stock to ensure he stayed with the company.
How Fate Brought Neal Mohan to Google
After earning his electrical engineering degree from Stanford in 1996, Neal Mohan started his professional journey at Andersen Consulting (now Accenture). Just a year later, he moved to a then-little-known startup called NetGravity, which was eventually acquired by DoubleClick, marking the true beginning of Mohan’s impactful career in tech.
At DoubleClick, Neal Mohan rapidly climbed the corporate ladder, transitioning from services to sales operations before ultimately becoming Vice President of Business Operations. His sharp instincts and exceptional talent didn’t go unnoticed, particularly by David Rosenblatt, a key figure who would go on to play a significant role in shaping Mohan’s career trajectory.
When DoubleClick faced challenges, Neal Mohan and David Rosenblatt teamed up to reimagine the company’s future. Their strategic overhaul proved highly successful, culminating in Google’s $3.1 billion acquisition of DoubleClick in 2007, according to Business Insider.
By 2011, Neal Mohan had emerged as a key architect behind Google’s advertising platforms and was playing a pivotal role in shaping YouTube’s product strategy as Chief Product Officer. His stature in Silicon Valley had grown significantly. Meanwhile, Twitter was grappling with its transition into a sustainable business. David Rosenblatt, now a board member at Twitter, saw an opportunity and aimed to bring Mohan on board as Twitter’s Chief Product Officer.
Google wasn’t about to lose Neal Mohan without a serious fight. In a bold move, the company countered Twitter’s offer with a staggering retention package—over $100 million in restricted stock units set to vest over several years, according to TechCrunch.
That decision proved pivotal—Mohan stayed with Google, eventually rising to become CEO of YouTube and continuing to play a major role in shaping the company’s future.
- Location :
Delhi, India, India
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