For me, it matters that we drive technology as an equalizing

Hear the words of Sundar Pichai, a leader who rose from humble beginnings in India to guide one of the most powerful companies of our age. He declared: “For me, it matters that we drive technology as an equalizing force, as an enabler for everyone around the world. Which is why I do want Google to see, push, and invest more in making sure computing is more accessible, connectivity is more accessible.” In these words lies a vision not of power hoarded, but of power shared—a recognition that the true strength of invention lies in lifting all of humanity, not only the privileged few.

The meaning of this wisdom is clear. Technology is a double-edged gift. It can widen the chasm between rich and poor, connecting the fortunate while leaving the forgotten in darkness. But it can also serve as an equalizing force, granting knowledge to those who hunger for it, opportunity to those who were once excluded, and voice to those who had long been silenced. Pichai’s words call for the second path—the path where technology becomes not a gate but a bridge.

The origin of his belief lies in his own journey. As a boy in Chennai, India, Sundar grew up in a modest home where even a simple rotary phone was a rare and treasured object. From such beginnings, he climbed step by step into the world of science and leadership. He knows from experience that talent and brilliance are not confined to wealthy cities or powerful nations; they are scattered like seeds across every village, every slum, every corner of the earth. What is lacking is not potential, but access. Thus, he seeks to use his position to spread connectivity, to place tools in the hands of those who, with opportunity, may change the world.

History has shown us the power of this principle. Consider the invention of the printing press by Gutenberg. Once, knowledge was the guarded treasure of the few, bound in hand-copied manuscripts chained to cathedral libraries. But with the press, books multiplied, literacy spread, and ideas crossed borders. It was an equalizing force, igniting the Renaissance and empowering ordinary men and women to read, to question, to dream. What printing was in the fifteenth century, computing and connectivity are to our own time.

Yet we must also remember the warning: when technology is denied to many, inequality deepens. There are still children in villages who walk miles to find a single book, while elsewhere the internet offers libraries beyond measure. There are voices silenced by lack of access while others broadcast endlessly. The promise of technology will not be fulfilled until the smallest child in the poorest village has the same chance to learn, to speak, to create as one born in wealth. This is the vision Pichai urges us toward.

The lesson for all is this: do not think of technology as a privilege for the few, but as a responsibility for the many. Each of us must strive to use it not to isolate, but to connect; not to dominate, but to empower. Support efforts that bring devices, knowledge, and connectivity to those who lack them. Share what you know, teach those who are learning, and use your voice to call for fairness in the distribution of these modern tools.

Therefore, engrave this truth upon your heart: technology must be an equalizer, not a divider. Let it be the lamp that illuminates dark corners, the bridge that unites distant lands, the tool that awakens hidden potential. Do not be content until all may share in its light. For only then will invention fulfill its highest purpose—not to exalt the few, but to raise the many.

Thus remember the teaching of Sundar Pichai: the destiny of technology is not only in circuits and code, but in how it is shared. When used to connect and empower, it becomes the servant of justice, the herald of opportunity, and the voice of equality for all humankind.