Google CEO Sundar Pichai has announced that the company will need to exercise extreme caution in hiring more employees throughout the year. This decision comes after Google laid off hundreds of employees since the beginning of 2024, in smaller batches compared to the mass layoff of 12,000 employees in 2023.
During an all-hands meeting, Pichai faced questioning from employees about the uncertainty and disruption caused by the layoffs. He assured them that the majority of the layoffs would occur in the first six months of 2024, with the second half of the year seeing a much smaller scale of reductions. Pichai emphasized the need for Google to be “very, very disciplined” about hiring more employees in the coming months.
Last year, Pichai issued a memo apologizing for the layoffs, citing the need to adjust to a different economic reality. However, the recent termination of 28 employees for participating in a sit-in protest against Google’s collaboration with the Israeli government on “Project Nimbus” has sparked controversy. The protesters, led by “No Tech For Apartheid”, occupied Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian’s office for over eight hours, leading to arrests.
In response, Pichai cautioned employees against using the company as a personal platform or engaging in disruptive issues or political debates. He emphasized the importance of maintaining a culture of open discussion while ensuring a safe and productive work environment.