The Indian American informed employees last week that additional layoffs are planned “to remove layers to simplify execution and drive velocity in some areas.”
Workers at Google are taking to social media to vent their annoyance over the company’s latest round of layoffs, accusing the “boresome management” of lacking “a visionary leader.” Software engineer Diane Hirsh Theriault blasted the company’s leadership in a lengthy tirade on LinkedIn. In response to reports that the company was letting go of several hundred members of its ad sales team, she wrote, “From the C-suite to the SVPs to the VPs, they are all profoundly boring and glassy-eyed.”
CEO Sundar Pichai informed employees last week that while there will not be as many layoffs as there were last year, they should still expect more this year. According to the New York Post, he has confirmed laying off employees from the company’s hardware division and core engineering team “to remove layers to simplify execution and drive velocity in some areas.”
The Verge revealed that in a memo distributed to staff members on January 18, “the company referenced its belt-tightening plans” for this year. This year, the company wants to “deliver the world’s most advanced, safe, and responsible AI, improve company velocity, efficiency, and productivity, and deliver durable cost savings.” According to The Verge, the memo also discussed creating “the most helpful personal computing platforms and devices” and fostering innovation through Google Cloud services.
Workers are also bemoaning the absence of a “family” atmosphere, as Business Insider reported. In an effort to reduce expenses and concentrate on high-priority areas like artificial intelligence, the tech giant announced in January of last year that it would be laying off roughly 12,000 workers, or 6% of its total workforce.
A press release from the Alphabet Workers Union was cited by Business Insider to report that on January 18, the union planned protests at five Google campuses nationwide to “push back against the bogus talking points that Google employs to rationalise decision-making.” It was stated in the statement that “the truth is that these layoffs cause chaos in our workplace, leaving us with increased workloads and widespread anxiety over which team will disappear next over night.”
Ian “Hixie” Hickinson, a former employee of Google, chastised Pichai last November for failing to exhibit “visionary leadership” and showing no interest in upholding the principles that made Google a great business. Additionally, he said that the morale of Google employees is at an all-time low and that Bay Area therapists would concur that all Google employees are “unhappy” with the company.
