Google CEO Sundar Pichai Sells $10 Million in Shares While Receiving New RSUs

According to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) CEO Sundar Pichai sold 32,500 shares of Class C common stock in the open market on March 4, 2026, under a pre-established Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale generated approximately $9.9 million (roughly KRW 13 billion), while Pichai continues to hold a substantial direct and indirect equity stake. On the same day, he was granted 265,001 Class C Google Stock Units (GSUs), which are restricted stock units (RSUs), at no cost. These RSUs are scheduled to vest in monthly installments based on service requirements from March 25, 2026, through January 1, 2029.

On March 25, existing GSUs held by Chief Business Officer Philipp Schindler and John Kent Walker, Senior Vice President of Global Affairs and Chief Legal Officer, vested, converting part of the Class C units into actual common shares. At the same time, shares were withheld to cover tax obligations. The SEC filing clarifies that these transactions were routine equity compensation vestings and tax settlements—not open-market trades.

Alphabet’s stock has shown heightened volatility, declining about 3% on both March 24 and 25. The slides followed the company’s announcement that it plans to nearly double its 2026 capital expenditures to $175–185 billion (approximately KRW 230 trillion) to expand its artificial intelligence infrastructure, alongside regulatory risks under the European Union’s Digital Markets Act.

Meanwhile, on March 19, Verily—Alphabet’s healthcare division—secured roughly $300 million (around KRW 4 trillion) in funding and initiated a spin-off to form the independent company Verily Health Inc. Alphabet will remain as a non-controlling minority investor.

Alphabet, the U.S. big-tech holding company behind Google Search, YouTube, Android and Google Cloud, reported Q4 2025 revenue of $113.8 billion (about KRW 150 trillion) and a 16% increase in operating profit, marking the first time quarterly revenue surpassed $100 billion. In early 2026, driven by growth in its AI and cloud businesses, Alphabet’s market capitalization topped $4 trillion (roughly KRW 5,200 trillion), securing its position as the world’s second-highest valued company by market cap.