Don’t be surprised if the next Android OS is named after an Indian sweet.

On Thursday, a student asked Sundar Pichai: “Why haven’t you created Android with names of Indian sweets — like N for Naankhataai , or P for Peda ?” The query got smiles all round.

Responding, a beaming Google CEO said: “I'll meet my mom next time; I am gonna ask for suggestions... meanwhile for the next series, Android N, maybe we should do an online poll and all Indians should vote”.

Pichai was taking questions from students across the country during the much-anticipated #AskSundar session at Delhi University’s SRCC campus.

The cheering crowd gave Pichai a welcome normally reserved for Bollywood stars. Extremely relaxed, Pichai took questions from cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle and students of all ages. Bhogle described him as the “Rahul Dravid of the tech industry…and the good guy who finished first”.

Tech passion Sharing a bit of his background, Pichai said he was always interested in technology even as a child and became partial to semiconductors as he grew older. Recalling his early days at Google, he said: “I was like a boy in the candy store; seeing people working on amazing things really stretched my mind.”

Pichai’s passion for artificial intelligence, virtual as well as augmented reality, is plain to see. Most of Google’s efforts keep the scalability of a solution in mind, he said.

Pichai shared some important life lessons and experiences with students. “It is important to follow your dream and your heart — you’ll do much better in life.”

A football fan, Pichai tries not to miss FC Barcelona games. He is also very excited about the Indian start-up scene. “The start-ups I have met in India are not very different from those in Silicon Valley,” he said.

Related Topics
comment COMMENT NOW