Written Testimony of Sundar Pichai Chief Executive Officer Google LLC  Before the House Judiciary Committee  Hearing on “​Transparency Accountability Examining Google and its Data  Collection Use and Filtering Practices”  December 11 2018      Chairman Goodlatte Ranking Member Nadler distinguished members of the  Committee Thank you for the opportunity to be here today      I joined Google 15 years ago and have been privileged to serve as CEO for the  past three years—though my love for information and technology began long before  that It’s been 25 years since I made the US my home Growing up​ in India I have  distinct memories of when my family got its first phone and our first television Each  new technology made a profound difference in our lives Getting the phone meant  that I could call ahead to the hospital to check that the blood results were in before I  traveled 2 hours by bus to get them The television well it only had one channel but I  couldn’t have been more thrilled by its arrival Those experiences made me a  technology optimist and I remain one today Not only because I believe in  technology but because I believe in people and their ability to use technology to  improve their lives I​ ’m incredibly proud of what Google does to empower people  around the world especially here in the US      I’d like to take a moment to share a bit of background on that 20 years ago   two students—one from Michigan and one from Maryland—​came together at  Stanford with a big idea to provide users with access to the world’s information   That mission still drives everything we do whether that’s saving you a few minutes  on your morning commute or helping doctors detect disease and save lives Today   Google is more than a search engine We are a global company that is committed to  1 building products for everyone That means working with many industries from  education and healthcare to manufacturing and entertainment      Even as we expand into new markets we never forget our American roots It’s  no coincidence that a company dedicated to the free flow of information was  founded right here in the US As an American company we cherish the values and  freedoms that have allowed us to grow and serve so many users I am proud to say  we do work and we will continue to work with the government to keep our country  safe and secure Over the years our footprint has expanded far beyond California to  states such as Texas Virginia Oklahoma and Alabama Today in the US we’re  growing faster outside of the Bay Area than within it I’ve had the opportunity to  travel across the country and see all the places that are powering our digital  economy—from Clarksville to Pittsburgh to San Diego where we recently launched  a partnership with the USO to help veterans and military families Along the way I’ve  met many people who depend on Google to learn new skills find jobs or build new  businesses Over the past year we have supported more than 1 5 million American  businesses Over the past three we have made direct contributions of $150 billion to  the US economy added more than​ 24 000 ​employees and paid over $43 billion to  US partners across Search YouTube and Android These investments strengthen  our communities and support thousands of American jobs      They also allow us to provide great services to our users to help them through  the day It’s an honor to play this role in people’s lives and it’s one we know comes  with great responsibility Protecting the privacy and security of our users has long  been an essential part of our mission We have invested an enormous amount of  work over the years to bring choice transparency and control to our users These  values are built into every product we make      We recognize the important role of governments including this Committee in  setting rules for the development and use of technology To that end ​ ​we support  federal privacy legislation and proposed a legislative framework for privacy earlier  this year      2 Users also look to us to provide accurate trusted information We work hard  to ensure the integrity of our products and we’ve put a number of checks and  balances in place to ensure they continue to live up to our standards I lead this  company without political bias and work to ensure that our products continue to  operate that way To do otherwise would go against our core principles and our  business interests We are a company that provides platforms for diverse  perspectives and opinions—and we have no shortage of them among our own  employees Some of our Googlers are former servicemen and women who have  risked much in defense of our country Some are civil libertarians who fiercely  defend freedom of expression Some are parents who worry about the role  technology plays in our households Some—like me—are immigrants to this country   profoundly grateful for the freedoms and opportunities it offers Some of us are  many of these things      Let me close by saying that leading Google has been the greatest  professional honor of my life It’s a challenging moment for our industry but I’m  privileged to be here today I greatly appreciate you letting me share the story of  Google and our work to build products worthy of the trust users place in us      Thank you for your attention I look forward to answering your questions     3