‘Disregard the status quo’: Former Google executive reveals how he rose through the ranks quickly

A former Google executive says his rapid rise within the tech giant wasn’t due to following the company’s standard playbook, but to breaking it.

Alon Chen joined Google in 2006 at the age of 23 with no formal marketing background and no connections to the industry. Within five years, he became marketing director responsible for markets including Israel and Greece. He helped build a $2 billion product line in over 30 countries while earning a high six-figure salary and seven-figure stock package.

Looking back, Chen says the climb felt simple once he stopped seeing company rules as fixed obstacles.

In an interview with LuckChen said the most important thing was to question the status quo and act on what he believed was the right course of action.

« Climbing was quite natural and easy, simply because I ignored all the status quo and the rules and realized what was the right thing to do and went with it, » he said.

Asked for a promotion before the rules allowed it

At Google, employees are generally expected to wait at least two years before applying for a promotion. Chen decided not to follow that timeline.

Less than a year into her role, she contacted her manager directly and made her case.

« I just said to my manager, listen, I know this is the year. Look what I’ve managed to achieve. It’s way more than anyone else. We’re going to put me up for promotion now, » he said.

Chen believes that many employees limit their growth by accepting the company’s systems without questioning them.

« We have all these rules, we have all these benchmarks, we have all these processes, » he said. « This will happen to most of you. »

The project was even started without permission

Chen also recalled a time when he pushed forward with a major initiative despite not getting approval from top management.

When he worked on the international expansion of the Google Partners program, his proposals were rejected by internal teams. However, instead of shelving the idea, he decided to launch it in other markets.

The draw worked.

After the initiative was successful internationally, the senior teams contacted him with a new wish: to expand the program to North America as well.

Chen says business environments can sometimes stifle initiative.

« Corporate America can put you in these boxes that discourage you, » he said, adding that the most successful people are often those who are willing to take calculated risks within organizations.

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 when his father was injured in a motorcycle accident. This experience made him start work early.

At the age of 12, he started coding, although upgrading his computer was difficult because his family could not afford new hardware.

At the age of 15, he started negotiating with importers for computer parts and assembling the machines himself. He soon began selling computers to small businesses while still in high school.

“It was my first entrepreneurial adventure,” he said, adding that the company eventually grew into a large company serving thousands of small and medium-sized businesses.

Leaving Google for his own start-up

Despite the leadership role and earning a lucrative pay package, Chen eventually decided to leave Google to build his own company.

He founded Tastewise, an artificial intelligence platform that helps food companies analyze consumer trends and develop new products.

The platform is now used by major food companies such as 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 company came from a surprisingly simple source – a family WhatsApp group where Chen’s mother asked everyone what they wanted to eat before cooking.

Although 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 to build something of his own instead of a traditional career path.