Layoffs at Google.

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It's old news now, and here's the official blogpost.

This was the second round of layoffs at Google, but this one cut much closer to home. So far, at least 3 people that I worked with on a regular basis were given 2 months to find another job within Google or outside the company.

As far as I could tell, it came as a shock to everyone concerned. I'm conflicted about how I feel...

Do I think Google could've handled it better?
No. No one is perfect, but Google's executive team comes close. Its hard for me to imagine a more perfect (i.e. real, insightful but heartfelt) response than the one that Eric Schmidt gave when questioned (internally) about this.

Do I think it'll change things at Google?
Yes, but hopefully not too much. 200 employees is approximately 1% of the company; that's really nothing in this environment. I mean, there are companies that try to weed out the bottom 5% of their employees every year.

The very first time I was looking for a full-time job was in 2002, when the effects of the tech bubble were still reverberating in Silicon Valley. While I was lucky to end up where I did, seeing friends laid off and not find jobs for years, meant that I was always a little nervous during my first few months at work. Even the borderline work-a-holic that I am, I'm sure that experience pushed me a little bit harder.

There is a difference between being motivated by fear and by ambition though. At Google, the thought of losing my job had never even crossed my mind even as I saw so many friends go through personal and professional turmoil in this environment...until Thursday. The fact that I was working at Google on stuff I loved was motivation enough, and I figured thats all that mattered. I'm still not concerned, but given my risk profile changed recently (marriage + one more Salgar goes to b-school :)) so perhaps I shouldn't be as blase.

The after-effects do concern me. People take fewer risks and crony-ism increases, when people are worried about their jobs; and in this environment its impossible for them not to be. I don't know what'll happen at Google, but this tendency is worth for everyone to watch against.

I still believe culturally there's no company in the world better suited to get through this and come out stronger, but I guess I'd expected we wouldn't need to go through it at all. I was a little sadder leaving work on Thursday and Friday, mainly for the people that lost their jobs and a little because I think this pokes a hole in the bubble that us Googlers seemed to live in.

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