Google chief tells staff to be more productive
Google chief Sundar Pichai has called out staff for being unproductive as the world of Big Tech continues to feel the sting of dwindling growth.
Announcing an initiative called Simplicity Sprint, Pichai said the company has “real concerns” that productivity is not “where it needs to be for the headcount we have.”
As first reported by CNBC, Pichai told his near 170,000 staff members that he would love to get their help for how this culture can be changed, as well as ideas for product development.
“We should think about how we can minimise distractions and really raise the bar on both product excellence and productivity,” he said in an internal meeting.
As reported by CityAM last month, Google has also said it would slow hiring for the rest of the year.
“The uncertain global economic outlook has been top of mind,” he told employees. “Like all companies, we’re not immune to economic headwinds.”
The company hired 10,000 employees in the second quarter of 2022 and Pichai said that because of this, it would be “slowing the pace of hiring for the rest of the year, while still supporting our most important opportunities.”
Pichai urged employees to be more “entrepreneurial”, adding: “Scarcity breeds clarity. It’s what drives focus and creativity that ultimately leads to better products that help people all over the world.”
Google will focus on hiring for engineering, technical, and other important roles “for the balance of 2022 and 2023.
The search engine giant is the latest to join other tech companies like Twitter, Netflix, and Amazon in slowing hiring or cutting jobs as recession fears dent confidence.