Google’s $100M bid to retain Neal Mohan makes headlines again

During a recent podcast, Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath recalled Google’s reported $100 million offer to retain rising executive Neal Mohan in 2011, highlighting Silicon Valley’s fierce battle for top talent in the early 2010s

A decade-old corporate retention move by Google is back in the spotlight after YouTube CEO Neal Mohan indirectly acknowledged receiving a $100 million offer from the tech giant to dissuade him from joining Twitter. The revelation came during a recent podcast hosted by Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath, highlighting the intense competition for top executive talent in Silicon Valley during the early 2010s.

During the podcast, Kamath referred to a report about Google offering Mohan a staggering $100 million to prevent his exit around 2011. “Not today, but 15 years ago, which was a lot of money,” Kamath said. Mohan, without disputing the claim, allowed the conversation to move forward, indirectly confirming what had long been considered one of the most aggressive retention deals in tech history.

At the time, Neal Mohan was a rising figure within Google, overseeing product strategy for its advertising and YouTube divisions. Reports from 2011, including one by TechCrunch, indicated that Twitter had approached Mohan to serve as its Chief Product Officer, backed by his former boss at DoubleClick, David Rosenblatt. In response, Google offered Mohan restricted stock units worth $100 million, set to vest over several years, as an incentive to stay.

Silicon Valley's costliest talent war

Mohan, who holds a degree in electrical engineering from Stanford University, began his career at Andersen Consulting (now Accenture), and later moved to NetGravity, which was acquired by DoubleClick. Following Google’s $3.1 billion acquisition of DoubleClick in 2007, Mohan transitioned into a key leadership role within Google’s advertising business.

The high-stakes retention battle wasn’t limited to Mohan. Around the same time, Twitter had reportedly attempted to recruit Sundar Pichai, then leading Google’s Chrome division. In a parallel move, Google countered with a $50 million stock grant to retain Pichai, who went on to become CEO of Google in 2015 and later Alphabet Inc. in 2019.

Today, both Mohan and Pichai hold some of the most influential positions in global technology. Mohan took over as YouTube CEO in 2023, succeeding Susan Wojcicki, while Pichai continues to lead Google and its parent company, Alphabet.

The incident underscores how competitive retention strategies have played a critical role in shaping the leadership of the world’s biggest tech firms.