Google increased CEO Sundar Pichai’s security costs by 22% in 2024
Google CEO Sundar Pichai, arrives for a US Senate bipartisan Artificial Intelligence (AI) Insight Forum at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on September 13, 2023. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
Mandel Ngan | AFP | Getty Images
Google paid $8.27 million for CEO Sundar Pichai’s personal security in 2024, according to a new filing with the the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
That figure is up nearly 22% from $6.78 million in 2023, due in part to a number of security measures taken during Pichai’s busy year.
“In 2024, Sundar’s security arrangements included residential security and consultation fees, security monitoring services, car and driver services, and personal security during all travel,” Alphabet’s 2025 proxy statement reads. “We believe these arrangements and costs are reasonable, appropriate, necessary and in the best interests of Alphabet and its stockholders, as they mitigate risks to our business.”
The document went on to say “we do not consider these additional security arrangements to be a personal benefit to Sundar because they arise from the nature of his employment responsibilities.”
Google declined to comment.
The increase came as Pichai traveled extensively in 2024, often speaking with world leaders about technological advancements, including artificial intelligence. Google — which generated 12% higher revenue in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the year prior — is at the center of an AI arms race and its position in the search market may be threatened by AI competition and mounting regulation.
Including stock awards, Pichai’s total compensation was $10.73 million during the 2024 fiscal year, according to the proxy. That’s up from $8.8 million the previous year.
It’s unclear how Google has changed its security spending for Pichai in 2025, but at least a dozen S&P 500 companies have increased security costs as more companies see heightened threats to their top brass following the December murder of UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson, according to a recent Reuters analysis.
Besides Pichai, Alphabet’s legal chief Kent Walker received nearly $30.2 million in total compensation last year, according to the filing. That’s up from $27.3 million the previous year. Alphabet’s new finance chief Anat Ashkenazi’s received a total compensation of about $50 million, which included a nearly $10 million bonus.
The average total compensation for Google’s full-time employees was $331,894, a 5% increase from the previous year’s average of $315,531.
Rene Haas, CEO of chip tech provider Arm Holdings, holds a replica of a chip with his company’s logo on it, during an event in which Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim officially announces a $250 million deal with the company, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia March 5, 2025.
Hasnoor Hussain | Reuters
Arm shares dropped more than 8% in extended trading on Wednesday after the chip-design company issued weaker-than-expected guidance for the current quarter.
Here’s how the company did in the fiscal fourth quarter compared with LSEG consensus:
- Earnings per share: 55 cents, adjusted vs. 52 cents expected
- Revenue: $1.24 billion vs. $1.23 billion
While Arm topped estimates for the quarter ended March 31, Wall Street is looking ahead to the company’s forecast for the first quarter.
Arm said revenue will be between $1 billion and $1.1 billion. The middle of the range is below the $1.1 billion average analysts estimated, according to LSEG. Earnings per share will be between 30 cents and 38 cents, while analysts were expecting 42 cents.
SoftBank controls about 90% of Arm, and took the company public in 2023. It now has a market cap of over $130 billion as of Wednesday’s close.
Arm designs the fundamental architecture upon which many chips are built, and sells licenses for its designs to companies such as Qualcomm and Nvidia, charging royalty fees on each sale they make. The company claims 99% of premium smartphones are powered by Arm technology.
Royalty revenue in the quarter rose 18% from a year earlier to $607 million.
Net income fell 6% to $210 million, or 20 cents a share, from $224 million, or 21 cents, in the year-ago quarter. Revenue jumped 34% from $928 million a year earlier.
Thomas Fuller | SOPA Images | Lightrocket | Getty Images
AppLovin shares soared as high as 15% in extended trading after the company reported earnings and revenue that beat expectations and announced the sale of its mobile gaming business.
Here’s how the company did compared to LSEG consensus estimates:
- Earnings: $1.67 per share vs $1.45 per share expected
- Revenue: $1.48 billion vs $1.38 billion expected
AppLovin also agreed on Wednesday to sell its mobile gaming business to Tripledot Studios in a deal worth $400 million in cash considerations. The advertising tech company will also obtain a roughly 20% ownership stake in Tripledot Studios, which makes mobile games like Sudoko Friends, Puzzletime and Solitaire Classic.”
The deal is expected to close in the second quarter of 2025.
AppLovin said second-quarter sales should come in the range of $1.2 billion to $1.22 billion, trailing analysts expectations of $1.38 billion.
The company reported first-quarter net income of $576 million, or $1.67 per share, up from $234 million, or 67 cents per share, in the same quarter of 2024.
AppLovin total costs and expenses for the first quarter came in at $820.55 million, representing a 14% increase from the previous year during the same quarter.
The ad-tech firm said in February that it had signed a term sheet to sell its apps business for “total estimated consideration” of $900 million, which included $500 million in cash.
AppLovin’s business has been split between advertising and apps, which is primarily made up of game studios that the company has acquired over the years. With the historic growth in its advertising unit, due to rapid advancements in artificial intelligence, the apps business had become much less important.
The company logged $1.16 billion in first-quarter advertising sales, up from the $678 million it recorded a year ago during the same period.
Sales of the company’s apps-related business for the quarter came in at $325 million, which was a 14% decline from the prior year.
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