Google Executives Threaten Workers With Layoffs, Say 'There Will Be Blood On The Streets': Report

This article was originally published on Aug. 13, 2022.

In July, Alphabet Inc announced a hiring freeze due to global economic uncertainty. 

According to a new Business Insider report, the company doesn't seem to be rolling back the hiring freeze, and employees are jittery about the decision. 

Senior executives in the Google cloud sales department are telling their employees to shape up, warning that layoffs may occur if results don't meet expectations, according to Business Insider.

The leadership team has told them there will be an "overall examination of sales productivity and productivity in general."

Per the report, the warning says – if third-quarter results "don't look up, [then] there will be blood on the streets."

According to a CNBC report, Google has launched an effort called "Simplicity Sprint" to drive efficiency and improve employee focus amid macro uncertainties. 

Also Read: Google Agrees To Pay $118M To Settle Lawsuit Filed By Female Employees

During an all-hands meeting in July, CEO Sundar Pichai acknowledged that Google's productivity was nowhere close despite its headcount, reflecting a challenging macro environment with more uncertainty ahead.

He said he wanted to solicit his employees' ideas on getting "better results faster."

Recently, Pichai shared his plans about a hiring and investment slowdown through 2023, asking employees to work "with greater urgency" and "more hunger" than shown "on sunnier days."

It's not just Google that is facing the wrath of economic slowdown. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg told employees, in July, that the company plans to reduce its hiring target for engineers from 10,000 to between 6,000-7,000 amid the market downturn.

"Realistically, there are probably a bunch of people at the company who shouldn't be here," Zuckerberg said.

Photo: Courtesy of Techlearn easy on flickr