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☆ Some Google employees didn't realize they were laid off until their badges wouldn't let them into the office
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Aaron Mok | Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A laid-off Google employee saw a co-worker scan his badge to get into the NYC office but the reader kept turning red. The laid-off employee said that his co-worker who tried to badge-in "seemed a little flustered" and that it didn't seem like he was trying to sneak in. Normally, he said, Google employees often quickly show their badges to the guards in front of the elevator and are allowed to take the elevator up to whatever floor they needed to go to. 12,000 employees — 6% of the company's global workforce — were laid off, Google CEO Sundar Pichai wrote in a memo to employees. Are you a current or former Google employee?

☆ A laid-off Google employee said she felt 'betrayed' and 'reduced to a dollar sign' when the tech giant cut her job
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

An ex-Googler said she felt "betrayed" and "reduced to a dollar sign" after being laid off. In a LinkedIn post, she said she was "disappointed" with how the tech giant executed the layoffs. Google announced 12,000 layoffs Friday, with staff across all facets of the company impacted. Sign up for our newsletter for the latest tech news and scoops — delivered daily to your inbox. Philipp Schindler, Google's chief business officer responded: "If you interpret psychological safety as removing all uncertainty, we can't do this."

Insider obtained recordings of the Google all-hands meeting, along with screenshots of employee comments, questions, and other reactions. Why weren't Google managers warned? During Monday's townhall meeting, employees asked why so many managers were left in the dark about the job cuts. Read more about Google's responses here: Google employees pressed leadership about why managers weren't informed before announcing layoffs of 12,000 workersWas a big activist hedge fund involved? Do you work at another Big Tech company?

☆ In a town hall meeting, Googlers demanded to know if activist hedge fund TCI was behind mass layoffs this month
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Thomas Maxwell | Rosalie Chan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Google's parent company Alphabet announced layoffs of 12,000 employees last week. TCI Fund Management previously called for Alphabet to trim headcount following "excessive" growth. Pressure from investors did not drive the decision for last week's announced layoffs of 12,000 employees, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai and CFO Ruth Porat said in an all-hands meeting on Monday. Pichai responded by saying that Alphabet communicates with investors throughout the year and has done so consistently over time. While the company may deny that a hedge fund drives its decision-making, Alphabet nonetheless appears to be fulfilling many of TCI's requests with the layoffs.

☆ Google employees pressed leadership about why even managers weren't informed before layoffs of 12,000 were announced
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Rosalie Chan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Googlers pressed leadership at a town hall on Monday on why managers weren't informed beforehand. Leadership responded saying that the company wanted to "give certainty sooner." At an internal town hall meeting on Monday, Google's leadership addressed two questions about why managers weren't informed about the mass layoffs and one question about the company's communication strategy about the layoffs. "In an ideal world, we would have given managers a heads up, but we have over 30,000 managers at Google," Cicconi said on the call. Another question asked about how in a "perfect world," managers would have been given a heads up, but they weren't informed due to a "tight timeline."

☆ In a tense townhall meeting with employees, Google CEO Sundar Pichai says executives will take a 'very significant reduction' in bonuses after a pandemic hiring binge led to 12,000 layoffs
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Rosalie Chan | Hugh Langley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Google started laying off 12,000 employees last week. At an internal all-hands meeting on Monday, Pichai said executive bonuses would be cut. He also said executive compensation is tied to company performance. Google executives will be taking a major reduction in bonuses after the company started mass layoffs, CEO Sundar Pichai told employees during a tense internal all-hands meeting on Monday. He also said that the more senior leaders are, the more compensation is "tied directly to company performance."

☆ Stunned Google staff want 'psychological safety' after layoffs. 'How are we supposed to ever feel safe again?' one employee asks in a tense all-hands meeting.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Rosalie Chan | Hugh Langley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

"How can we reestablish psychological safety for Googlers after these layoffs?" A third employee, based in the UK noted Google has stressed that "psychological safety is paramount." 'If you interpret psychological safety as removing all uncertainty, we can't do this'Philipp Schindler, Google's chief business officer, weighed in on the topic of psychological safety during the all-hands meeting. Google's SVP and chief business officer Philipp Schindler Matthias Balk/picture alliance via Getty Images"If you interpret psychological safety as removing all uncertainty, we can't do this," Schindler added. Brian Glaser, who heads Google's people development team, reiterated Schindler's comments that a big part of psychological safety is about being able to have "real" conversations with each other.

☆ An internal Google layoff document says the company is still hiring for a 'very limited number of critical roles.' Here's where it's still investing.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Thomas Maxwell | Rosalie Chan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

An internal memo states the company is only hiring for a "very limited number of critical roles." Almost 50% of open roles on the company's careers website are for Google Cloud. An internal layoff FAQ for employees, reviewed by Insider, stated that the company will continue to hire for "a very limited number of critical roles." The Google document pointed staff to an internal site, Grow, and the company's public careers website for "current open, priority roles." As of late Friday, the search giant's public careers website showed 969 open positions, providing an indication of which departments are deemed critical as Google attempts to get back on solid ground.

Amazon, Microsoft, and Google announced layoffs of a total of 40,000 employees this week. Tech companies embarked on a massive hiring spree as the Covid-era made their products the backbone of the world's remote-working offices. The era of tech companies spending like rock stars is overOver the last decade Big Tech companies spent money "like 1980's rock stars," wrote Dan Ives, managing director at the investment firm Wedbush . On the other end, tech companies may look much different this decade as they did in the last. As companies like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft cut costs, they'll find ways to operate leaner, and their stock prices will stabilize.

☆ Read the memo that Google's cloud boss Thomas Kurian sent to the unit as the company lays off 12,000
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Rosalie Chan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian sent a memo to staff addressing the layoffs. As Google lays off 12,000 employees, its cloud boss Thomas Kurian sent a memo to employees within the unit to address the cuts. Google has viewed Google Cloud as a major driver of growth to provide an alternative source of revenue to supplement its massive advertising business. "We are sincerely grateful for the contributions each of these people have made to our business," Kurian wrote in a memo to Cloud employees. A Google Cloud spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

☆ Amid the largest layoffs in Big Tech history, startups are having unprecedented success hiring top talent. But founders are still skeptical about hiring Big Tech employees.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Rosalie Chan | Katie Malone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Startups have had unprecedented success hiring top tech talent upending a decades long power imbalance. Suddenly, several thousand quality tech workers were job hunting, and it didn't seem like Big Tech would be hiring them back anytime soon. But lately, things have been changing, and his startup has become more attractive to former Big Tech workers, he said. "Just because they come from Big Tech companies does not mean they're quite suitable for my needs." Still, recruiters told Insider, startups rarely judge tech workers solely on whether they've worked at a Big Tech company or a startup.

☆ $3 billion customer-management startup Podium laid off 12% of staff
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Rosalie Chan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The $3 billion customer-management startup Podium laid off 12% of its staff Thursday. The $3 billion customer-management startup Podium laid off 12% of its staff Thursday. Podium, based in Lehi, Utah, has raised $201 million from venture-capital firms including Accel, IVP, and Summit Partners, according to PitchBook. The company, which helps businesses communicate with their customers, had about 1,300 employees, according to PitchBook. Affected employees learned they were laid off through email or when they were no longer able to access their work tools.

More than 10,000 Google employees could be set to receive bad performance reviews. More than 10,000 Google employees could be in line for low performance reviews, potentially giving the company an excuse to trim its headcount. Google introduced a new performance review tool earlier this year, named GRAD, which changes how employees are rated on their work. Under the new system, 6% of employees could receive a bad rating, up from 2% in the previous rating system. These low scores could give the company cause to put employees on performance review plans, before showing them the door.

Google employees are increasingly concerned that layoffs will hit their company, as rivals including Amazon and Meta slash more than 20,000 jobs. From the end of 2018 to earlier this year, the company added almost 100,000 full-time staff, nearly doubling the workforce. "There's a lot of people openly nervous," another Google employee said, while noting that Googlers have been posting internal memes to express their anxiety. "Performance plans are the next step if folks don't respond to the check-ins," a person familiar with the changes said. 'Google execs will want to cut people'Widespread layoffs at Google would be unprecedented.

☆ Googlers make memes to express anxiety as tech companies including Amazon, Meta, and Twitter lay off thousands
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Rosalie Chan | Hugh Langley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Googlers are creating and sharing memes to express their anxiety about industry layoffs. Sources say they have not heard of planned layoffs at Google, but many employees are still nervous. Amazon, Meta, and Twitter have cut thousands of jobs lately. Across the tech industry, companies including Amazon, Meta, and Twitter are laying off thousands. Meta laid off 11,000 employees, while Twitter laid off more than 3,000 full-time employees, along with many contract workers.

☆ Housing affordability is so bad that it's the only thing liberal and conservative voters can agree on
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Alcynna Lloyd | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

On Tuesday, millions of voters nationwide casted ballots in favor of affordable housing measures. "It's especially heartening to see many ballot measures that support affordable housing pass this year with a clear majority of votes." Austinites aren't the only voters desperate for affordable housing. Kansas City voters gave the green light to a $50 million affordable housing bond that will create 2,000 units in the city. This year, lawmakers brought forward proposed affordable housing bonds via Measure U in Oakland, Measure L in Berkeley and Measure ULA in Los Angeles.

☆ At a Google all-hands meeting, employees questioned executives about Project Nimbus, a controversial $1.2 billion contract with Israel's government. Management's answers left staff skeptical.
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-24 | by ( Tom Dotan | Rosalie Chan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Google spokesperson said the contract is for Israeli government ministries like healthcare. Google executives recently tried to assure employees that its controversial $1.2 billion cloud computing contract with Israel's government will not provide support to the country's sensitive military work. "The Nimbus contract is for workloads running on our commercial platform by Israeli government ministries," Fox-Martin said at the meeting on Tuesday. Some employees who attended Tuesday's meeting said the assurances from Google executives about Project Nimbus contradict what the company has said elsewhere. They pointed to earlier statements that a Google spokesperson made to WIRED acknowledging the contract will provide Israel's military access to Google technology.

☆ V&A celebrates 'Korean Wave' of popular culture with new exhibition
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Korean Wave" are K-Pop costumes, K-drama props as well as a replica of the bathroom set in Oscar-winning film "Parasite". Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register"'Hallyu' actually means Korean wave and it refers to this meteoric rise of popular culture from South Korea that has taken the world by storm in the past few decades." The exhibition is split into different sections including K-pop and its fans, television drama and cinema, fashion and beauty. The Korean Wave" exhibition at the V&A in London, Britain, September 21, 2022. The Korean Wave" opens on Saturday and runs until June.

☆ Leaked memo says Google Cloud will unfreeze hiring in more areas across the org by October but it must fix its priorities in 2023: 'We have too many Code Yellows and Purples'
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-15 | by ( Hugh Langley | Rosalie Chan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Google Cloud aims to unfreeze hiring in more areas across the org by October, a leaked memo said. "We have too many Code Yellows and Purples," he told staff in the memo. Google Cloud will unfreeze hiring in more areas across the organization by October, a memo sent to staff Wednesday and obtained by Insider said. We continue to aggressively hire for critical roles that support our long-term goals and customer needs," a Google Cloud spokesperson said. The spokesperson added that individual teams at Google Cloud would decide whether to unfreeze hiring based on that team's needs and priorities.

☆ Adobe's $20 billion deal to buy Figma is one of the biggest ever for a venture-backed startup. Early VC investors like Index Ventures, Greylock, and Kleiner Perkins stand to win big.
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-15 | by ( April Joyner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Adobe is buying the design-software startup Figma for $20 billion. Its early backers, including Index Ventures and Greylock, are likely to see big returns as a result. In a sleepy period for initial public offerings and blockbuster acquisitions, Adobe's $20 billion deal to acquire the design-software company Figma stands out. The acquisition is likely to be a sweet deal for early investors such as Kleiner Perkins, Index Ventures, and Greylock Partners. And now, Adobe is paying $20 billion, a combination of cash and stock, which is twice Figma's last known valuation.

☆ Leaked documents show Google Cloud is betting big on Europe and Asia in what it sees as a $100 billion opportunity, saying if it doesn't it will 'face being left behind in half the world'
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-14 | by ( Rosalie Chan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Google Cloud is betting big on Europe and Asia by rolling out "trusted partner cloud," or TPC. Google sees data sovereignty as a $100 billion market, calling TPC its "most important program." Leaked internal documents that Insider viewed show that Google Cloud sees an initiative called "trusted partner cloud," or TPC, as the linchpin of this strategy. In an internal FAQ dated August 9, Google Cloud estimates that data sovereignty is a $100 billion market. The documents Insider viewed, which were dated from June, show that Google Cloud plans to launch that European cloud service in different countries through 2023 and 2024.

☆ Tanium insiders say the $9 billion startup is trying to cozy up to Microsoft and angle itself to be acquired as cost cutting and a market downturn chill hopes for its long-awaited IPO
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-08 | by ( Rosalie Chan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Current and former Tanium employees say the company has been tightening its belt. Tanium had two rounds of job cuts in the past month as internal hopes for its IPO faded. "Plenty of ink has been spilled over the past few months on this topic," a Tanium spokesperson said of its IPO plans. Even so, many rank-and-file employees are skeptical that either an acquisition or IPO will happen, a current employee said. "All well run organizations look for ways to simplify their structures and adapt to meet changing business requirements and industry shifts," the Tanium spokesperson said.

Analysts were skeptical of the Broadcom acquisition from the startFrom the get-go, Broadcom's plan to buy VMware seemed far-fetched. Read more:Customers and employees tell Insider the worst is yet to comeWork at VMware quickly lost meaning for employees under the threat of Broadcom's impending acquisition. Meanwhile, VMware customers are starting to feel the ripple effects. Since the Broadcom deal was announced, VMware employees have reported "aggressive" recruiter outreach from giants like Amazon Web Services, Google, and IBM. They told Insider about their plans to use the buyout to get closer to VMware customers.

☆ How Databricks CEO Ali Ghodsi went from doing research in a college lab to cofounding the $38 billion big data startup — and what he's learned about leadership along the way
▼ + stars: | 2021-12-10 | by ( Rosalie Chan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The most important groundwork for building company culture was a strong founding team, Ghodsi says. Ghodsi arrived at UC Berkeley in 2009 for a year-long program to research machine learning and data processing. Working at European universities, Ghodsi says he was often shut down when proposing out-of-the-box research ideas, but "UC Berkeley was different. Ghodsi went on to cofound Databricks out of a UC Berkeley research lab in 2013. Databricks' founding team was extremely innovative, Ghodsi says, with backgrounds in research and creating open source data project Spark.

☆ These 3 technologies will be key to Intel's business as it staves off competition from companies like AMD and Nvidia
▼ + stars: | 2021-11-03 | by ( Rosalie Chan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Under CEO Pat Gelsinger, Intel is making new bets in chip manufacturing and open source software. Analysts say Intel's new foundry business, AI acquisitions, and x86 chips will be foundational. Competition among chip design rivals like AMD and Nvidia is heating up, while other chip startups are on the rise. Besides Mobileye, Intel has been expanding into building a wide array of AI chips, including through its acquisition of Nervana in 2016. Intel's x86 are foundational to its businessFinally, analysts say Intel's x86 chips have been and continues to be the bread-and-butter to its business.

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