YouTube CEO Neal Mohan Reveals $100 Million Offer from Google to Stop Him From Joining Twitter

Can you imagine – Google offered $100 million to YouTube CEO to stop him from joining Twitter. $100 million is equal to Rs.8,55,63,10,790. This was revealed in a youtube video uploaded by Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath.

In a candid and wide-ranging conversation on the latest episode of People by WTF, Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath sat down with YouTube CEO Neal Mohan. Their discussion touched on a variety of topics including the role of social media in shaping political conversations, and how creators can better navigate YouTube’s algorithm. But one particularly striking moment came when Kamath brought up a long-rumored offer Google made to Mohan in 2011 — a $100 million stock deal to stop him from leaving for Twitter.

Kamath recalled reading that Google had made the massive offer to Mohan nearly 15 years ago. “I remember reading this thing about Google offering you $100 million not to quit. Not today, but 15 years ago, which was a lot of money,” he said. Mohan didn’t deny the claim.

According to reports from TechCrunch at the time, Twitter was courting Mohan for the role of Chief Product Officer. His former boss, David Rosenblatt, had joined Twitter’s board and was eager to bring him over. To counter the offer, Google offered Mohan a package of restricted stock units worth $100 million, which would vest over several years — an aggressive move to retain a key player in their product leadership team.

Aside from his corporate journey, Mohan also shared personal stories, including his childhood in both India and the United States. Born in India while his father was studying at IIT, Mohan later moved to the U.S. when his father pursued a PhD. The family returned to India in 1986, and Neal studied for five years at St. Francis’ College in Lucknow.

Reflecting on that period, Mohan said the transition was difficult. He struggled with Hindi and found it hard to connect with classmates. “When growing up in the US, I loved baseball, Transformers… and then coming here, where I sounded funny. I didn’t have those immediate things to connect with people on,” he shared.

He later returned to the U.S. to study electrical engineering at Stanford University, further fueling his deep interest in technology. “Even in high school in Lucknow, I had a little software startup where I built programs for other students and teachers. I’ve always had a passion for tech,” he said.