Google CEO Sundar Pichai reportedly grew agitated during a “heated” all-hands meeting in which an employee asked why the search engine was nickel-and-diming workers by taking away perks and benefits. Pichai, who has ratcheted up the pressure on Googlers to boost productivity, held court at a meeting in New York this week during which he was grilled by his employees over cuts to travel and entertainment budgets.
One worker summoned the nerve to ask Pichai why Google was “nickel-and-diming employees” when the company reported “record profits and huge cash reserves,” according to audio obtained by CNBC. Don’t miss: Remember the summer spike in layoffs that pointed to a U.S. recession? It didn’t happen. Plus: Josh Brown: ‘I don’t care what the NBER says … if people don’t get fired, then it’s not a recession’ The Googler’s pointed question was met with a positive response by his colleagues, who rated it high on the company’s internal Dory Q&A system, according to CNBC. Pichai reportedly paused to gather his thoughts and offer a measured response. “How do I say it?” the CEO is reported to have begun in response to the disgruntled employee. “Look, I hope all of you are reading the news, externally,” Pichai continued. “The fact that you know, we are being a bit more responsible through one of the toughest macroeconomic conditions underway in the past decade, I think it’s important that as a company, we pull together to get through moments like this.” Context: Fed will tolerate a recession, and 5 other things we learned from Powell’s press conference Also see: Stocks crashing? No, but here’s why this bear market feels so painful — and what you can do about it. Pichai is said to have sounded annoyed, telling his charges: “We don’t get to choose the macroeconomic conditions always.” He added that it was important for the company “to be smart, to be frugal, …