Google CEO Sundar Pichai’s recent Instagram post underscores the unyielding expectations of Indian parents, even for someone leading one of the world’s top companies. Pichai, who was awarded an honorary doctorate by his alma mater, IIT Kharagpur, humorously noted in his post that his parents had always hoped he would earn a PhD. “I think an honorary one still counts,” he wrote.
The post, highlighting the stereotype of high parental expectations in India, sparked a wave of reactions on social media. Users found it amusing that even the Google CEO faces the challenge of meeting his parents’ aspirations.
Sundar Pichai’s post quickly garnered over 160,000 ‘likes’ and 700 comments, many of which were congratulatory. However, several Instagram users focused on his caption: “My parents always hoped I would get my doctorate, I think an honorary one still counts.”
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“Parents are all the same. Regardless of who Sundar Pichai is today, his parents are not satisfied without a PhD. They always want to see their children achieve more,” commented user Gautam.
“The caption is relatable to every Indian child and the stereotype of Indian parents,” said another user.
“Brown parents be like: You may be CEO, but you should still have that PhD,” quipped a third user.
One user humorously added, “Kya baat hai… Mummy Papa ko Google utna nahi khush kar paya hoga jitna IIT ne kar diya (Google would not have pleased your parents as much as IIT did).”
