Exclusive | ‘India has embraced Android’: Sameer Samat, President of Android Ecosystem, Google

Google recently launched its Pixel 9 series at the Made By Google global event in California. In an exclusive conversation with Business Today’s Technology Editor Aayush Ailawadi, Sameer Samat, President of Android Ecosystem, Google talked about the importance of Indian market for the Sundar Pichai-headed tech giant. He revealed that India has truly embraced Google’s Android. 

He stated, “India has embraced Android, and so that's been wonderful. One of the things that is great about the users in India is that they are at the cutting edge. Actually, voice search has some of the highest levels of engagement of any country in India. Actually, the Gemini system that we've just rolled out already supports 40 languages including nine Indian languages, including Hindi, Telugu, Tamil and more. 

He also talked about bringing Gemini to the new Pixel devices and more budget devices in India soon. He said, “What excites us most about Gemini is that it’s not just limited to Pixel devices. Everything we demonstrated today is being rolled out across the Android ecosystem, including Samsung, OnePlus, and many more. It's a broad integration across devices, not just the ones we make at Google.” Samat added, “One of Google’s advantages, having invested in AI for over a decade, is that we can leverage the cloud to run powerful AI capabilities even on lower-tier devices. This allows us to make AI accessible to everyone, not just flagship users.”

When asked about his opinion on why Indians thrive in leadership roles in US tech companies, he said, “I think it stems from the values instilled in us. My parents immigrated to the U.S., and the values they carried from India played a significant role in shaping my journey. The diversity and richness of Indian culture are key contributors to the success many of us have found abroad.”