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AdvertisementFor more than a decade, Big Tech companies doled out lavish perks to hire and retain a limited supply of technical talent — and some workers pushed the limits of these benefits. AdvertisementBusiness Insider interviewed tech workers and industry experts about Grubgate and the evolving relationship between Big Tech companies and staff. They also described how layoffs, efficiency drives, and tougher policy enforcement have shifted the culture at once easygoing tech companies. According to job marketplace Trueup, at least 650,000 tech workers have been cut since the start of 2023. Alongside industrywide layoffs that began in 2022, many tech companies also trimmed back the benefits on offer.

Persons: —, Meta, grifting, that's, Allison Shrivastava, it's, Googler, Mark Zuckerberg, Zuck, Patrick Mork, Wall, Mork, Dilip Rao, he's, Bruce Daisley, Daisley Organizations: Big Tech, Service, Google, Meta, US Meta, Snap, Nintendo, Twitter, YouTube Locations: Silicon Valley, Mountain View, Tupperware, US, Meta

☆ Google just made a huge company shakeup. Here's who's gaining power.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Hugh Langley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Google is merging more parts of the company in an effort to move faster in AI. Google's DeepMind chief has gained more power, while the head of Pixel will also oversee Android. The changes put more firepower behind some key Google products, and could help it launch faster. CEO Sundar Pichai announced a series of re-orgs in a memo to staff on Thursday, and — surprise, surprise — Google says it's all happening because of artificial intelligence. Pichai said the changes, which include merging different parts of the company, would help Google "simplify decisions" and move faster.

Persons: Google's, —, Sundar Pichai, Pichai Organizations: Google, Service, Research, Business

☆ See inside some of the coolest offices of Big Tech firms
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-30 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Big Tech firms are reknowned for their unique and often large office spaces. Take a look at some of the coolest tech firm offices. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. AdvertisementBig Tech firms are often commended for their striking offices, some of which have entire campuses. Take a look at some of the coolest Big Tech offices.

Persons: — Organizations: Big Tech, Service, CNBC Locations: Mountain View , California

☆ There are growing calls for Google CEO Sundar Pichai to step down
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( Hugh Langley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The slip-up was so bad it sent the company's stock tumbling, and had CEO Sundar Pichai address the troops, calling the situation "completely unacceptable." The debacle has strengthened the narrative that Google is suddenly behind in the AI race, and now there's a growing chorus of voices calling for CEO Sundar Pichai to be replaced. Pichai, who was appointed CEO of Google in 2015, and Alphabet in 2019, has proven a strong peace-time CEO for the company. He's been an effective and steady hand who protects Google's prized search business and deals diplomatically with regulators. Responding to a tweet by Color Health CEO Othman Laraki, who said Google as facing an "unsolvable problem," Mayer defended Google somewhat.

Persons: —, Sundar Pichai, Ben Thompson, Googlers, Mark Shmulik, chatbot, He's, Pichai, Aravind Srinivas, Sundar, Srinivas, Marissa, Marissa Mayer, Othman Laraki, Mayer, They've, Hugh Langley Organizations: Service, Google, Business, Color, Gartner Locations: Silicon Valley

☆ How Google lost its way
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Hugh Langley | Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +17 min

Just two months after Google launched Gemini, its flashy new AI model, the company revealed that it had already built a better version. AdvertisementThen, days later, Google scrambled to explain why its image generation tool spit out racially inaccurate depictions of historical figures. Users have long bemoaned — and researchers recently found — a decline in the quality of Google Search results. The fact that Google is not far and away the self-driving-car leader, it's, like, a total joke," the former Google director said, adding that the problem of Google's lost supremacy is "maybe impossible to solve, frankly." Google now is reminiscent of the Steve Ballmer-era Microsoft, which missed the smartphone, search, and cloud waves and was overtaken by Apple, Google, and Amazon.

Persons: OpenAI, Sora, Sam Altman, Sundar Pichai's, Pichai, —, Larry Page, Sergey Brin, Lea Suzuki, Getty Brin, Page, Google, Googlers, Axel Springer, Diane von Furstenberg, Giovanni Giannoni, Michael Avrukin, Vuk Valcic, wouldn't, Patrick Mork, Eric Lehman, Lehman, ChatGPT, Caesar Sengupta, Sengupta, Alexa, Google's, Steve Ballmer, Satya Nadella, Hugh Langley, Lara O'Reilly Organizations: Google, Hollywood, Industry, San Francisco Chronicle, Business, Penske Media, Microsoft, Amazon, The New York Times, Oracle, YouTube, Apple, IBM, Meta Locations: Silicon Valley, Silicon, —

☆ Google says Singapore has 'very high' potential to be a global AI hub
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Sheila Chiang | In Sheilachiang | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

American multinational technology company Google logo seen at Googleplex, the corporate headquarters complex of Google and its parent company Alphabet Inc.SINGAPORE — Singapore has "very high" potential as a global AI hub — thanks in part to an environment that fosters innovation, a Google Cloud executive told CNBC. "In order for AI to really deliver on its potential, you need really good public and private partnerships," Caroline Yap, managing director, global AI business and applied engineering at Google Cloud, told CNBC. Yap was speaking on the sidelines of Explore AI summit in January, a meeting hosted by Google Cloud and the Singapore government to recognize the top generative AI solutions from organizations that took part in the "AI Trailblazers" initiative. That enables to build and test their own generative AI solutions in a controlled and dedicated cloud-based environment. Through the joint partnership, 43 organizations across government and industry sectors successfully built their own generative AI solutions utilizing Google's AI stack.

Persons: Caroline Yap, Yap Organizations: Google, Alphabet Inc, SINGAPORE —, CNBC, Singapore's Ministry of Communications, Digital Industry, Smart Nation and Digital Government Office Locations: Googleplex, SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE — Singapore, Singapore, Digital Industry Singapore, Yap

☆ Inside the career rise of Sundar Pichai, the Google CEO being paid hundreds of millions to pave the way towards an 'AI-first' company
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Sundar Pichai, Alphabet's CEO, is one of the world's highest-paid executives, earning $226 million in 2022. Pichai has been at Google since 2004 and rose through the ranks, becoming its CEO in 2015 and taking the helm of Alphabet in 2019. As CEO, Pichai has reorganized Google's workforce, issued mass layoffs, and emphasized AI. AdvertisementAdvertisementSundar Pichai has had a meteoric rise since joining Google as a 31-year-old product manager in 2004. In the 11 years that followed his first steps on the Googleplex, Pichai was promoted four times, eventually becoming the CEO of Google in 2015.

Persons: Sundar Pichai, Pichai, —, Larry Page, Jillian D'Onfro, Avery Hartmans, Mary Meisenzahl Organizations: Google, Service

☆ A Lego Crime, a YouTube Rivalry, and the End of a Star Wars Friendship
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( David Kushner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +30 min

Those who are into Lego Star Wars are among the most popular. It was at an informal contest where Louis met Victor, a fellow Lego Star Wars fanatic. Soon they ranked among the most popular Lego Star Wars YouTubers in France, known for the size and scope of their MOCs. The two friends no longer fit with that satisfying click that comes from snapping together two Lego bricks. Though it must have taken a truck to haul away all of Louis' Lego, no neighbor reported seeing anything suspicious.

☆ Google contractors say they don't have enough time to verify correct answers from the company's AI chatbot and end up guessing
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Thomas Maxwell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The bot has been tested internally by Googlers, and now contractors are also testing a chatbot. Some contractors say they're not given enough time to rate the most accurate chatbot responses. Because each assigned task represents billable time, some workers say they will complete the tasks even if they realize they cannot accurately assess the chatbot responses. Google raters who work for Appen make between $14 and $14.50 an hour, despite supporting a business that generates most of its revenue from search and advertising. The group estimates that Google employs more than 200,000 people as contractors, who aren't recorded in the company's official headcount.

☆ The walls are closing in on Google. Here's what it needs to do to survive.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Paayal Zaveri | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Google needs to focus on building up its AI business while also keeping costs under control. Building up its AI business needs to be a top priorityThe events of the last few days show Microsoft and Google are clearly in an AI arms race — one that Google needs to win for its own sake. Google needs to double down on its own AI prowess right now, given the threat, Wall Street analysts said. However, they emphasize that Google needs to be thoughtful and show why its technology is better than OpenAI rather than being reactive. Maintaining efficiency while retaining an innovative cultureTo win in AI, however, Google needs to maintain its culture of innovation.

☆ I'm a VP at Google who's been with the company for 16 years. Here's what I look for in job candidates and the best way to stand out in an interview.
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-24 | by ( Robin Madell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Sissie Hsiao is the general manager and vice president of Google Assistant. Since I began leading the Google Assistant team over a year ago, I've been inspired yet again by the power of our technology. Google Assistant was launched six years ago, and it's still very nascent and constantly adapting to make people's lives easier. So when I interview candidates, I want to know if they've used the product. As you answer the tough questions, think about how people all over the world would benefit from product innovation.

☆ Google's Sergey Brin Is Totally Obsessed With High-Adrenaline Exercise
▼ + stars: | 2014-08-19 | by ( Madeline Stone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

"When Larry and I started the company, we had to get some hard drives to, you know, store the entire Web," Brin told Wired of Google's early days. AdvertisementEven in the search engine's early days, Brin brought an element of fun and activity to the Googleplex. "They were much better than I expected for a bunch of engineers," he told Edwards. In 2008, he learned that he had a mutation on his LRRK2 gene, a defect that would substantially increase his risk of developing Parkinson's disease. Advertisement"If I felt it was guaranteed to cure Parkinson’s disease, a check for a billion dollars would be the easiest one I have written," Brin told Bloomberg.

Persons: Sergey Brin isn’t, Larry Page, Larry, Brin, Sergey, Doug Edwards, Edwards, couldn’t, Googlers, Greg Roberts, Roberts, Google George Salah, Jacob Silberberg, Page, Eugenia, Parkinson's, Anne Wojcicki, Wojcicki, Michael J Organizations: Khan Academy, Khan, University of Maryland, Stanford, Google, Circus Center, Flickr, 23AndMe, Fox Foundation, Parkinson's Research, Bloomberg Locations: San Jose, Moscow, Soviet Russia, rollerblades, Sunset, Queens, Brooklyn, New York City, San Francisco, New York

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