Sacha Baron Cohen slams Google billionaires Sergey Brin and Larry Page for stepping down: 'You're the Silicon Six'
- "Borat" actor Sacha Baron Cohen criticized Google cofounders Larry Page and Sergey Brin for stepping down from their roles at the company.
- Baron Cohen pointed out that Page and Brin still have voting control of the company, and accused Google and YouTube of facilitating the spread of white supremacy and conspiracy theories.
- Google employees have also expressed their anger at Page and Brin for leaving rather than stay to fix the problems within the company.
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Actor and comedian Sacha Baron Cohen laid into Google's billionaire cofounders for leaving the company.
Larry Page and Sergey Brin announced they were stepping down as CEO and President of Google's parent company Alphabet on Tuesday. Page and Brin confirmed in their goodbye letter that they will remain as board members and shareholders, and the pair still have voting control of the company.
Baron Cohen tweeted about the news on Wednesday. "First you drop your 'Don't Be Evil' mantra, now you 'drop out'? You still control 51% of voting shares, so stop @Google and @YouTube from spreading white supremacy & conspiracies."
"So long as you profit from hate, you are the #SiliconSix," Baron Cohen added.
The "Silicon Six" is a term Baron Cohen used in a speech he gave to the Anti-Defamation League about online hate speech last month, and the Silicon Valley executives he sees as responsible for its proliferation. The term refers to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, their successor Sundar Pichai, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey.
Baron Cohen isn't the first to criticise Page and Brin for stepping away from their roles. Numerous Google employees have also voiced their dismay at the cofounders bailing out rather than staying and fixing the problems inside the company.
"Some had seriously hoped Sergey and Larry would step in and fix Google. Instead of righting the sinking ship, they jumped ship," tweeted employee activist group Google Walkout For Real Change.
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