Sundar Pichai, the big boss at Google and Alphabet, recently spilled the beans about a tough call they made in 2022 – laying off a whopping 12,000 employees, about 6% of Alphabet’s crew. Let’s dive into what he shared during a recent team powwow.

In plain talk, Pichai owned up to the fact that letting go of those 12,000 jobs wasn’t a walk in the park. He defended the move, saying it was like a necessary evil to tackle economic changes and set up Google for a bright future. Tough love, you could call it. He gets that it hit the employees hard, but he argues that not doing it would’ve been like slamming on the brakes, stopping Google from jumping on opportunities.

A sneak peek into the behind-the-scenes came from Business Insider, who got their hands on a meeting audio. Pichai, during the chit-chat, admitted they could’ve handled the whole layoff thing a bit smoother.

One curious employee raised a solid question – “It’s been nearly a year since the layoff call. How did it affect our growth, money stuff, and team spirit?”

Pichai spilled the tea, saying morale took a hit. The signs were everywhere, from Googlegeist comments to other feedback. He kept it real, saying this was a rough patch Google hadn’t faced in 25 years. But he insisted they had to act, or it’d be like trying to ride a bicycle with a flat tire. Not a good idea, especially with the world going through big changes.

Adding to the drama, Pichai shared that cutting off access to work accounts for the let-go crew was a tough pill to swallow. Necessary, but not a piece of cake.

“Difficult Decision”: Sundar Pichai On 12,000 Job Cuts At Google https://t.co/2bdgSovukz pic.twitter.com/84zq3D3g3E

— NDTV (@ndtv) December 16, 2023

So, what’s the deal with this difficult decision? Pichai’s take is, yeah, it stung, but not doing it would’ve been a bigger sting in the long run. Imagine trying to invest and pivot with a giant weight tied to your ankle. Not cool, right? The layoffs were like ripping off a Band-Aid – painful but needed.

Now, Google is in reflection mode, with Pichai steering the ship through these choppy waters. Tough times, but hey, that’s business.

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