Google CEO Sundar Pichai blasted by employees at event; says 'don't equate fun with money'

tech.hindustantimes.com:

Google is facing a big problem of slowing growth, cost-cutting and employee dissent over cultural changes and CEO undar Pichai is facing a backlash and is finding himself on the back foot. Google conducted a company-wide all-hands meeting known as TGIF (Thank God It's Friday) in New York this week, and Pichai was attacked by the employees with several tough questions related to potential layoffs, managing productivity and more, according to audio obtained by CNBC. It can be known that the recent all-hands meeting comes as Google parent Alphabet, Meta and other tech companies are staring into a slew of economic challenges.

According to a report by CNBC, Google CEO was asked why the company is slashing travel and swag budgets at a time when “Google has record profits and huge cash reserves.” Responding to which Pichai said, "How 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 underway in the past decade, I think it's important that as a company, we pull together to get through moments like this."

The CEO was asked in the meeting to explain the statement he gave regarding the 20 percent productivity goal while slowing hiring and investments. Replying to which he said, “I think you could be a 20-person team or a 100-person team, we are going to be constrained in our growth in a looking-ahead basis,” Pichai said. “Maybe you were planning on hiring six more people but maybe you are going to have to do with four and how are you going to make that happen? The answers are going to be different with different teams.”

“Sometimes we have a product launch process, which has probably, over many years,