Googlers angry about CEO’s $226M pay after cuts in perks and 12,000 layoffs
Enlarge / Google CEO Sundar Pichai speaks at Vox Media's Code Conference on September 6, 2022, in Beverly Hills, California. (credit: Getty Images | Jerod Harris )
Following Google's layoff of 12,000 employees and other cost-cutting moves, employees are reportedly expressing anger about CEO Sundar Pichai's $226 million pay package.
"In the weeks since Pichai's annual compensation was made public, internal Google platforms have filled with conversations and memes slamming the CEO for taking a pay bump while slashing costs elsewhere," CNBC reported yesterday. CNBC's report said internal memes shared by employees also criticized Google owner Alphabet's recent authorization of a $70 billion stock repurchase program, the same amount as last year. Pichai is the CEO of both Alphabet and Google.
According to CNBC, one "popular meme showed an image of Shrek character Lord Farquaad with the text 'Sundar accepting $226 million while laying off 12k Googlers, cutting perks, and destroying morale and culture.'" It also included the Farquaad quote, "some of you may die, but that is a sacrifice I am willing to make."