Alphabet CEO Says Employees 'Shouldn't Always Equate Fun with Money' – CNBC

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According to a report by CNBC Friday, CEO Sundar Pichai of Google parent company Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) faced questions from employees at an all-hands meeting regarding cuts to travel, entertainment budgets, managing productivity, and potential layoffs.

CNBC said the audio they obtained revealed the CEO was asked why the company is “nickel-and-diming employees” by cutting travel and other budgets at a time when Google has record profits.

In response, Pichai was quoted as saying he hopes everyone is reading the news externally and that they are being more responsible through “one of the toughest macroeconomic conditions underway in the past decade.” He added that the company must pull together.

The macroeconomic uncertainty has resulted in several tech companies implementing measures to deal with the economic slowdown.

CNBC said that Google’s CEO, at times, sounded annoyed during the meeting. One of the top-rated questions asked the CEO to expand on recent comments regarding improved productivity, with Pichai saying the company is constrained in its growth.

When addressing cost cuts, Pichai reportedly said the culture at the company can still be enjoyable, even if some perks are taken away, adding that “we shouldn’t always equate fun with money.”