Neal Mohan, now the CEO of YouTube, might not be a household name, but he’s considered a pivotal figure behind the success of Google and YouTube within Silicon Valley. A fascinating story recently surfaced on a podcast with entrepreneur Nikhil Kamath, revealing how Google went to great lengths to keep him from jumping ship to Twitter back in 2011.
At that time, Twitter (now X) was eager to strengthen its product leadership and offered Mohan the role of Chief Product Officer. Mohan seriously considered the offer, which could have been a game-changer for his career. However, Google responded with an extraordinary counter-offer — a retention package worth over $100 million in restricted stock units spread over several years. This massive deal wasn’t widely publicized but made waves inside the tech world, illustrating just how valuable Mohan was to Google.
Mohan’s journey began with a strong technical foundation, studying electrical engineering at Stanford and working at Andersen Consulting before joining a startup called NetGravity. NetGravity was later acquired by DoubleClick, where Mohan proved his leadership by steering the company through challenging phases and making it a prime acquisition target for Google in 2007.
At Google, Mohan became instrumental in building the company’s advertising business and later played a key role in driving YouTube’s growth. His sharp product vision and experience made him an indispensable leader — so much so that Google was willing to invest heavily to retain him.
The $100 million retention offer came amid Twitter’s efforts to solidify its product team, with one of Mohan’s mentors, David Rosenblatt (a Twitter board member), advocating for his move. But ultimately, Google’s offer kept him on board.
Since then, Mohan has continued shaping YouTube’s direction and was appointed its CEO in 2023. Though he tends to keep a low profile, this story highlights the immense trust and long-term investment Google placed in him — not only financially but as a visionary leader crucial to the company’s future.
