Dec 25, 2024 07:53 AM IST
Google hosted an ‘ugly sweater’ contest for its employees to ring in the holiday season, with CEO Sundar Pichai himself joining the fun.
Google hosted an ‘ugly sweater’ contest for its employees to ring in the holiday season, with CEO Sundar Pichai himself joining the fun. On Christmas day, Sundar Pichai took to Instagram to share a series of photographs from the ugly sweater contest which took place last week. The CEO’s entry to the contest had an India connection – read on to find out more about it.
Ugly Christmas sweaters: a brief history
For the uninitiated, ugly Christmas sweaters have become a beloved holiday tradition over the last few decades. Their origin dates back to the 1950s, when mass-produced knitwear began to include festive designs. By the 1980s, holiday sweaters became more elaborate, incorporating bright colours, large patterns, and over-the-top designs.
It was in the early 2000s that ‘ugly Christmas sweaters’ became a thing, as people began embracing these sweaters in an ironic way. For millennials, wearing these colourful and elaborate sweaters became a humorous trend for the holidays.
Sundar Pichai’s ugly sweater
Sharing pictures from Google’s ugly sweater contest on Instagram, Pichai revealed that the contest was judged by Google’s AI assistant, Gemini. Some of the top Google executives took part in the contest, wearing colourful concoctions, bright patchwork designs and knitwear that included popular Christmas motifs.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai’s entry to the ugly sweater contest was more staid, especially when compared to what some of his colleagues wore. The Indian-origin CEO of Google wore a black pullover with a design featuring a cricket ball, cricket bats, and Christmas trees.
Social media users were quick to note his sweater’s India connection, given that cricket is the most widely-followed sport in India. In fact, Chennai-born Pichai has earlier revealed that growing up, he idolised Sachin Tendulkar and wanted to become a cricketer.
“Cricket sweater awesome sir,” wrote one person in the comments section. “Love your cricket sweater,” said another.