Google staff meeting exposes strong feelings over cost cuts - CNBC
Justin Sullivan

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) CEO Sundar Pichai navigated some tense feelings at an employee meeting this week focused heavily on tough worker questions over cost cuts and productivity management, CNBC reports.
Pichai had suggested earlier this month that he was looking to make Google 20% more productive, hinting that product-line innovation might not be enough and that macro conditions might call for job cuts. The company also moved to restrict travel to "business critical" trips.
For many workers that marks a difference for a company that had been free-spending during tech's rising business cycle - and that was reflected in some tense questions and the indication of annoyance from Pichai in the employee meeting, CNBC said, citing audio.
Asked why the company was "nickel-and-diming employees" during a time of "record profits and huge cash reserves," Pichai said âHow do I say it? Look, I hope all of you are reading the news, externally. The fact that you know, we are being a bit more responsible through one of the toughest macroeconomic conditions under way in the past decade, I think itâs important that as a company, we pull together to get through moments like this.â
Google's culture can still be enjoyable even if certain perks and swag are less available, Pichai said, according to the report.
âI remember when Google was small and scrappy,â he said. âFun didnât always â we shouldnât always equate fun with money. I think you can walk into a hard-working startup and people may be having fun and it shouldnât always equate to money.â
Rival Meta Platforms is setting up its own plans to cut expenses by at least 10% in the coming months.