In the latest podcast with the Co-Founder of Zerodha, Nikhil Kamath, an entrepreneur and investor, recently appeared on a podcast with YouTube CEO Neal Mohan, where he shared a remarkable anecdote from his career.
Google parent company of Alphabet, once offered him $100 million in stock options to not join Twitter. The conversation gave a glimpse into the tough race for tech leadership and shared details about Mohan’s early life, growing up between India and the U.S.
During the podcast, Kamath mentioned, “I remember reading this thing about Google offering you $100 million not to quit. Not today, but 15 years ago, which was a lot of money.” Mohan did not deny the claim.
Back in 2011, Twitter was on a mission to bolster its leadership as the platform exploded in popularity. They set their sights on Neal Mohan, a sharp senior exec at Google, pegging him as the ideal Chief Product Officer. Twitter’s board, including David Rosenblatt, who’d worked with Mohan before, was all-in on snagging him.
But Google wasn’t about to let their star player walk. In a jaw-dropping move, they dangled a $100 million stock package—tied up in restricted stock units (RSUs) vesting over time—to keep Mohan in the fold. This wasn’t just a retention play; it was a loud signal of the cutthroat battle for top talent raging in Silicon Valley.
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Mohan said he was always interested in technology, even as a teenager. “My background is I am a technologist by training. I’ve been interested in – let’s say, passionate about – technology since I was a really young kid,” he told Mr Kamath.
“I went to high school in Lucknow. I had a little software startup back in the day, building software for other high school kids and teachers, and so I’ve always had a deep and abiding interest in technology,” he shared.
