A former Google executive who became a chief marketing officer (CMO) at just 28 has said his rapid rise in Big Tech came from breaking the rules, not following them.
According to a report by Fortune, Alon Chen joined Google in 2006 at the age of 23, despite having no prior marketing experience or internal connections. Within 5 years, he was leading marketing operations across Israel and Greece, managing a $2 billion product line across 30 markets. By his late 20s, Chen had secured a highly six-figure salary along with a seven-figure equity package, achievements many professionals spend decades chasing.
In a conversation with Fortune, Chen said that his rapid rise at Google was fairly “easy”, not because of mentors, politics or any formal promotions, but because he ignored every rule he was given. “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 told the outlet.
One example he shared was launching Google Partners in international markets without approval from the company’s North America headquarters. He said that the initiative succeeded, prompting leadership to later adopt it more broadly. He said that he also bypassed internal promotion timelines. While employees were typically expected to wait at least 2 years before seeking a promotion, Chen recalled approaching his manager within a year, arguing that his performance justified an early advancement.
“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, adding that the strategy worked.
Chen’s advice for high-achievers
Chen believes corporate structures can often discourage risk-taking. “We have all these rules, benchmarks and processes. That’s what’s going to happen for most of you,” he said, suggesting that high performers can treat them as flexible rather than fixed.
He added that long working hours, often around 12 hours a day, and consistent results helped him make a strong case for rapid growth. “Corporate America can put you in these frames that discourage you,” he said. But he added that the ones who will be most successful “actually just ignore these and say, ‘I’m going to do my own thing and take risks, internally.’”
Eventually, Chen said that he applied his own philosophy to his career by stepping away from Google altogether. Despite holding a lucrative role and significant equity, he chose to quit at 28 to pursue his own path. He said that he walked away with zero financial regrets. Today, he is the CEO and co-founder of Tastewise, an AI food and beverage intelligence platform that enables leading brands to expand distribution, grow demand, and accelerate innovation.