Google staff sent each other memes about layoffs to console each other and created spreadsheets to track firings, report says
- Google employees created spreadsheets to keep track of who was laid off, CNBC reported.
- They sent memes to console each other and organized virtual or in-person meetings, per the report.
Google employees sent each other memes after the company announced layoffs and made spreadsheets to keep track of the job losses, CNBC reported.
Google's parent company Alphabet on Friday said it was laying off around 12,000 workers — more than 6% of its global workforce. Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet and Google, told staff in a memo he took "full responsibility for the decisions that led us here."
Following the announcement, Google employees demanded answers from executives about how the layoffs were determined, CNBC reported. To understand which employees and departments were hit by the layoffs, they created a Google doc spreadsheet, listing the affected workers, per the report.
Some staff sent memes to each other using Google's internal meme-generator in an attempt to reach out and console themselves after the mass layoffs, per CNBC. One of the memes pictured Mila Kunis from the movie "Friends with Benefits." It included the caption: "The sad thing is, I actually thought you were different," next to Google's logo, CNBC reported.
Some employees set up virtual Google meetings with one another, while others organized in-person meetings, CNBC reported. A Discord channel was created called Google post-layoffs, which attracted more than 5,000 laid-off workers, per the report.
Google staff have submitted questions on the company's Q&A system called Dory, CNBC reported. In a list of questions, seen by CNBC, employees asked the company what metrics were used to decide who was fired and whether executives would sacrifice bonuses and salary increases this year.
Senior leaders have told the workforce to save their questions for a town hall meeting scheduled for this week, the report said.
Google didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment made outside of normal US working hours.
Pichai didn't specify which departments were affected by the layoffs, but Insider on Friday reported that Google's hardware, Chrome, Fi, and Fiber may be among the areas where the company trims costs.