'Disregard the status quo': Ex-Google executive reveals how he climbed the ranks quickly
Alon Chen joined Google in 2006 at the age of 23 with no formal marketing background and no industry connections. Within five years, he had become a Chief Marketing Officer responsible for markets including Israel and Greece, helping build a $2-billion product line.
- Mar 30, 2026,
- Updated Mar 30, 2026 11:01 PM IST
A former executive at Google says his rapid rise inside the tech giant did not come from following the usual corporate playbook — it came from breaking it.
Alon Chen joined Google in 2006 at the age of 23 with no formal marketing background and no industry connections. Within five years, he had become a Chief Marketing Officer responsible for markets including Israel and Greece, helping build a $2-billion product line across more than 30 countries while earning a high six-figure salary and a seven-figure equity package.
Looking back, Chen says the climb felt straightforward once he stopped treating company rules as fixed barriers.
In an interview with Fortune, Chen said the key was questioning the status quo and acting on what he believed was the right course of action.
“Climbing up was fairly natural and easy, simply because I just disregarded all the status quo and the rules and realized what’s the right thing to do, and went all the way with it,” he said.
Asked for a promotion before the rules allowed it
At Google, employees are typically expected to wait at least two years before seeking a promotion. Chen chose not to follow that timeline.
Less than a year into his role, he approached his manager directly and made his case.
“I just told my manager, listen, I know this is a year thing. Look what I’ve been able to achieve. It’s way more than anyone else. We’re going to put me up for promotion now,” he said.
Chen believes many employees limit their growth by accepting company systems without questioning them.
“We have all these rules, we have all these benchmarks, we have all these processes,” he said. “That’s what’s going to happen for most of you.”
Launched a project even without approval
Chen also recalled a moment when he moved ahead with a major initiative despite not receiving approval from senior leadership.
While working on expanding the Google Partners programme internationally, his proposal was initially rejected by internal teams. Instead of shelving the idea, he decided to launch it in other markets anyway.
The gamble worked.
After the initiative proved successful internationally, senior teams approached him with a new request: expand the programme into North America as well.
Chen says corporate environments can sometimes discourage initiative.
“Corporate America can put you in these frames that discourage you,” he said, adding that the most successful people are often those willing to take calculated risks inside organisations.
Entrepreneurship started in his teenage years
Chen’s unconventional approach began long before his time at Google.
Growing up near Tel Aviv, his family faced financial difficulties after his father was injured in a motorbike accident. That experience pushed him to start working early.
At the age of 12, he began coding, although upgrading his computer became difficult because his family could not afford new hardware.
By 15, he started negotiating with importers for computer parts and assembling machines himself. Soon he began selling computers to small businesses while still in high school.
“It was my first entrepreneurial adventure,” he said, adding that the venture eventually grew into a sizable business serving thousands of small and medium-sized businesses.
Leaving Google for his own startup
Despite holding a senior role and earning a lucrative compensation package, Chen eventually decided to leave Google to build his own company.
He went on to found Tastewise, an artificial intelligence platform that helps food companies analyse consumer trends and develop new products.
The platform is now used by major food companies including PepsiCo, Nestlé, Mars, Incorporated, Kraft Heinz, Campbell Soup Company and Givaudan. The company has raised more than $71 million in funding.
The idea for the business came from a surprisingly simple source — a family WhatsApp group where Chen’s mother would ask everyone what they wanted to eat before cooking.
Although he says he now earns less as a startup founder compared to his corporate salary, Chen says he has no regrets about leaving.
For him, the decision was about building something of his own rather than following a traditional career path.
A former executive at Google says his rapid rise inside the tech giant did not come from following the usual corporate playbook — it came from breaking it.
Alon Chen joined Google in 2006 at the age of 23 with no formal marketing background and no industry connections. Within five years, he had become a Chief Marketing Officer responsible for markets including Israel and Greece, helping build a $2-billion product line across more than 30 countries while earning a high six-figure salary and a seven-figure equity package.
Looking back, Chen says the climb felt straightforward once he stopped treating company rules as fixed barriers.
In an interview with Fortune, Chen said the key was questioning the status quo and acting on what he believed was the right course of action.
“Climbing up was fairly natural and easy, simply because I just disregarded all the status quo and the rules and realized what’s the right thing to do, and went all the way with it,” he said.
Asked for a promotion before the rules allowed it
At Google, employees are typically expected to wait at least two years before seeking a promotion. Chen chose not to follow that timeline.
Less than a year into his role, he approached his manager directly and made his case.
“I just told my manager, listen, I know this is a year thing. Look what I’ve been able to achieve. It’s way more than anyone else. We’re going to put me up for promotion now,” he said.
Chen believes many employees limit their growth by accepting company systems without questioning them.
“We have all these rules, we have all these benchmarks, we have all these processes,” he said. “That’s what’s going to happen for most of you.”
Launched a project even without approval
Chen also recalled a moment when he moved ahead with a major initiative despite not receiving approval from senior leadership.
While working on expanding the Google Partners programme internationally, his proposal was initially rejected by internal teams. Instead of shelving the idea, he decided to launch it in other markets anyway.
The gamble worked.
After the initiative proved successful internationally, senior teams approached him with a new request: expand the programme into North America as well.
Chen says corporate environments can sometimes discourage initiative.
“Corporate America can put you in these frames that discourage you,” he said, adding that the most successful people are often those willing to take calculated risks inside organisations.
Entrepreneurship started in his teenage years
Chen’s unconventional approach began long before his time at Google.
Growing up near Tel Aviv, his family faced financial difficulties after his father was injured in a motorbike accident. That experience pushed him to start working early.
At the age of 12, he began coding, although upgrading his computer became difficult because his family could not afford new hardware.
By 15, he started negotiating with importers for computer parts and assembling machines himself. Soon he began selling computers to small businesses while still in high school.
“It was my first entrepreneurial adventure,” he said, adding that the venture eventually grew into a sizable business serving thousands of small and medium-sized businesses.
Leaving Google for his own startup
Despite holding a senior role and earning a lucrative compensation package, Chen eventually decided to leave Google to build his own company.
He went on to found Tastewise, an artificial intelligence platform that helps food companies analyse consumer trends and develop new products.
The platform is now used by major food companies including PepsiCo, Nestlé, Mars, Incorporated, Kraft Heinz, Campbell Soup Company and Givaudan. The company has raised more than $71 million in funding.
The idea for the business came from a surprisingly simple source — a family WhatsApp group where Chen’s mother would ask everyone what they wanted to eat before cooking.
Although he says he now earns less as a startup founder compared to his corporate salary, Chen says he has no regrets about leaving.
For him, the decision was about building something of his own rather than following a traditional career path.