Google CEO blames employee leaks to the press for reduced 'trust and candor' at the company

• Google's CEO addressed a staff concern that the company has become less honest with employees.
• Pichai said trust has to go both ways, referring to employees leaking information to the press.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai was confronted with an employee question earlier this month asking whether Google plans to more honest and direct with its staff.

CNBC obtained audio from an end-of-year all-hands meeting hosted by Google CEO Sundar Pichai earlier this month. During the meeting Pichai read out an employee question which had been submitted via the company's internal system Dory.

The question was: "It seems like responses to Dory have gotten increasingly more lawyer-like with canned phrases or platitudes, which seem to ignore the questions being ask [sic]. Are we planning on bringing candor, honesty, humility and frankness back to Dory answers or continuing down a bureaucratic path?"

Google employees are able to vote on questions submitted through Dory, and per CNBC the question received 673 votes.

Pichai appeared to blame leaks to the press as one reason why speakers' answers at meetings might seem artificial.

"Sometimes, I do think that people are unforgiving for small mistakes. I do think people realize that answers can be quoted anywhere, including outside the company. I think that makes people very careful," he said.

"Trust and candor has to go both ways," Pichai added.

Pichai also said the company's massive size and the pandemic forcing meetings to be held virtually were contributing factors.

"I've noticed more people reading off screens during the pandemic and so I think some of it contributes to answers feeling canned," Pichai said. "I think people are always nervous to answer in this setting," he added.

Per CNBC, Pichai said the concern raised was "good feedback."

Google has faced widespread employee discontent before the pandemic. In 2018 over 20,000 Google employees staged a walkout in protest against the company's handling of sexual harassment.

Google employees formed their first-ever union in January of this year. The union called on the company to change how it handles sexual misconduct claims in July.

Do you work for Google? Got a tip? Contact this reporter at ihamilton@insider.com or iahamilton@protonmail.com. Always use a non-work email account.