Ex-Google engineer says Page, Brin and Pichai share a mindset, echoing ‘think crazy’ lesson

A former Google engineer is drawing attention to a common leadership trait he says runs through the company’s founding era and later executive leadership, arguing that progress in high-stakes technology depends on unconventional thinking.

In a Yahoo Finance piece published June 28, the engineer said he “observed” Sundar Pichai at Google for years before Pichai became CEO, and that he learned a lesson he describes as needing to “think crazy” to succeed. The article frames this as a principle the engineer believes Page and Brin also embody.

The same reporting links the idea to the engineer’s current role as the head of an AI company valued at $7.2 billion, presenting the “think crazy” mindset as a through-line from Google’s culture to efforts in today’s AI build-out.

While the Yahoo Finance write-up emphasizes the personal observation and the behavioral takeaway, it does not provide, in the excerpted information available here, detailed evidence such as specific statements from Alphabet executives, documented internal programs, or measurable outcomes directly tied to the “trait” described.

Alphabet, through Google, has long cultivated a culture of experimentation, where new product and research bets are encouraged even when they carry technical risk. In that broader context, leadership behaviors that reinforce bold problem framing and tolerance for exploration can influence how teams approach product development and model-building work.

The story’s focus is more on mindset than on corporate mechanics. It does not, based on the information provided, clarify what specific programs or managerial practices the engineer thinks Page, Brin and Pichai used in common, or how he would distinguish “think crazy” from ordinary engineering iteration.

For investors and business watchers, the immediate announcement is not that Alphabet has changed strategy, but that the success narrative around AI is increasingly described in behavioral terms. If widely adopted, that framing can shape how executives hire, evaluate ideas, and set risk thresholds for new AI products.

Still, much remains unspecified in the available material, including what the engineer’s current AI company does in concrete terms, how much of the “think crazy” principle is formalized into operating processes, and whether the described trait is corroborated by public remarks or internal documentation from Alphabet leaders.