Mark Zuckerberg, Sundar Pichai believe too many employees in Big Tech choose to relax rather than work.
The golden times in Silicon Valley appear to be coming to an end. In the past two weeks, two of the most influential tech CEOs, Mark Zuckerberg of Meta (formerly Facebook) and Sundar Pichai of Google, have both emphasized how likely it is that internet businesses employ far too many people, so many that some employees are just hanging out and not working. While Pichai made a subtle argument about the company’s low employee productivity, Zuckerberg was forthright and upfront. A “bunch of people at the company that shouldn’t be here,” he recently claimed.
Pichai and Zuckerberg’s remarks were made at a time when Silicon Valley businesses are cutting costs. It also occurred during Pichai and Zuckerberg’s engagement with their staff, indicating that their remarks constitute a warning to workers who are perhaps too intent on relaxing.
The remarks may also be a sign that things are changing in Silicon Valley. Google, Facebook, and other major tech companies are notorious for spoiling and loving on their staff, making them some of the best places to work. However, it appears these freebies may soon come to an end.
The initial shock came from Zuckerberg last month when it was announced that he chose to reverse the decision to grant extra vacation days to workers established during the height of the pandemic. He even went so far as to claim that there are “a handful of folks at the company who shouldn’t be here” on his June 30 internal call, according to The Verge. Additionally, it is said that he is “cool” if employees feel as though they don’t fit at Meta.
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“And I think some of you might just declare that this place isn’t for you if I raise expectations, set more ambitious goals, and just generally crank up the heat a little bit. I don’t mind that self-selection, “Added he.
A few days later, during a meeting with employees, Google CEO Sundar Pichai inadvertently echoed Zuckerberg’s remarks. Given the number of employees Google employs, he feels that production is lacking and not up to par.
Pichai continued, “There are legitimate worries that our overall productivity isn’t up to par given the number of employees we have. We must foster a culture that is more mission-focused, product-focused, and customer-focused “.
cause for worry?
In light of the present global economic recession, investors are actively criticizing both Meta and Google. The Russia-Ukraine confrontation is particularly difficult for American and European businesses.
For instance, Facebook parent company Meta reported its first-ever revenue decline in the quarter ending in June 2022. (Q2 2022). The business also expects lower sales in the third quarter of 2022 starting in September (Q3 2022).
Google, on the other hand, did not particularly foresee a decline in revenue, but it considerably underperformed expectations. In the most recent quarter, Google’s primary advertising division generated $56 billion in revenue. Despite a considerable reduction in growth rate from the same quarter last year, when it was at nearly 69 percent, this represents 11.6% growth year over year.
Both Pichai and Zuckerberg have warned that they may implement layoffs if conditions don’t improve. They have also frozen hiring for the remainder of the year.
Blame businesses rather than employees?
The fact that tech workers receive freebies and work in an environment that is probably among the best one can find in the world is not their fault, it is crucial to keep in mind. In the end, IT businesses require workers, and they may require them to be present and hands-on.
The freebies and benefits are not really gifts from the tech companies, as has been reported. Those who take advantage of Google’s free lunch will pay a price later.
2018 saw the publication of a book by author and journalist Dan Lyons titled How Silicon Valley Made Work Miserable for the Rest of Us. According to him, tech businesses who provide their employees bonuses actually make them work longer hours and with less work-life balance. All of us who have lately worked from home would be able to relate to the experience because, frequently, WFH meant working continuously without a break or set hours.
Dan Lyons likely stated in an interview that IT businesses are not responsible for this because of this “just doing nice just to be nice. Actually, it’s profitable.”
It will be interesting to see how the end of freebies, as predicted by Pichai and Zuckerberg, affects workers and the dominant work culture in Silicon Valley.
