During a visit to India in December 2015, shortly after becoming Google's chief executive, Sundar Pichai told a gathering of students to "wear your failure as a badge of honour." Pichai encouraged the students to reinvent themselves, take risks, and think big, stating that failure should be seen as proof of trying and taking a risk, rather than as shameful. He suggested that failure is part of the path toward success and that people should not let the fear of failing stop them from attempting something worthwhile.