Recently, Mark Zuckerberg and Sundar Pichai interacted with Google and Facebook employees, emphasizing how large their companies are. Output and work, however, are not proportional to this. They also suggested that many employees were probably just hanging out and not working.

Silicon Valley’s golden age appears to be coming to an end. In the last two weeks, two of the most powerful tech CEOs, Mark Zuckerberg of Meta (formerly Facebook) and Sundar Pichai of Google, have both emphasized how likely it is that tech firms employ far too many people, so many that some employees are simply hanging out and not working. While Pichai hinted at the company’s low employee productivity, Zuckerberg was blunt. He recently claimed that there are a “bunch of people at the company who shouldn’t be here.”

Pichai and Zuckerberg’s comments came at a time when Silicon Valley companies are cutting costs. It also happened during Pichai and Zuckerberg’s interactions with their employees, indicating that their remarks should serve as a warning to employees who are overly relaxed.

The comments could also indicate that things are changing in Silicon Valley. Google, Facebook, and other major technology companies are known for spoiling and loving their employees, making them some of the best places to work in the world. However, it appears that freebies are on their way out.

The initial shock came from Zuckerberg last month when it was reported that he reversed a decision made during the height of the pandemic to grant extra vacation days to employees. During his June 30 internal call, he even claimed that “a bunch of people at the company who shouldn’t be here” were present. Furthermore, he is said to be “okay” if employees feel they do not belong at Meta.

“And I’m afraid that if I raise expectations, set more ambitious goals, and generally turn up the heat a little bit, some of you will simply say that this place isn’t for you. That self-selection doesn’t bother me “He added.

During a meeting with employees a few days later, Google CEO Sundar Pichai inadvertently echoed Zuckerberg’s sentiments. Given Google’s employees, he believes productivity is lacking and subpar.

Pichai went on, “There are legitimate concerns that our overall productivity is inadequate in comparison to the number of employees we have. We must cultivate a more mission-focused, product-focused, and customer-focused culture “.

What is the main source of concern?

Investors are criticizing both Meta and Google in light of the global economic slowdown. For American and European businesses, the Russia-Ukraine conflict is especially difficult. For example, Facebook parent company Meta reported its first-ever revenue decline in the June 2022 quarter (Q2 2022). The company also anticipates lower revenue in the third quarter of 2022, which begins in September (Q3 2022).

Google, on the other hand, did not anticipate a revenue decline, but it significantly underperformed expectations. Google’s primary advertising business generated $56 billion in revenue in the most recent quarter. Despite a significant slowdown in growth rate from the same quarter last year, when it was nearly 69%, this represents 11.6% year-on-year growth.

If conditions do not improve, Pichai and Zuckerberg have indicated that layoffs may be implemented. They have also put a stop to hiring for the rest of the year.

Who is to blame, the company of Mark Zuckerberg, Sundar Pichai, or the employees?

It is not their fault that tech workers receive freebies and work in an environment that is likely to be among the best in the world. It is critical to remember this. Finally, tech companies with CEOs like Mark Zuckerberg and Sundar Pichai require workers who must be present and hands-on.

According to reports, the freebies and benefits are not gifts from technology companies. Those who take advantage of Google’s free lunch will be held accountable later.

The book How Silicon Valley Made Work Unpleasant for the Rest of Us, written by author and journalist Dan Lyons, was published in 2018. According to him, giving perks to employees at tech companies causes them to work longer hours and have less work-life balance. All of us who have recently worked from home will be able to relate to the feeling because working from home frequently meant working without a break or set hours.

Dan Lyons most likely stated in an interview that tech companies are not to blame for this “Simply acting nice for the sake of being nice. It is, in fact, profitable.”

However, it appears that some employees may be abusing the benefits provided by these tech behemoths. Some tech employees are known to “rest and vest,” which means they do not work hard and instead wait for their stock options, which vest over four years, to accumulate. Other employees have been known to “ghost quit,” which means doing the bare minimum to avoid being fired. Several other employees work remotely at these tech companies while freelancing or doing other full-time jobs.

All of this worked well when the economy was booming — Facebook and Google were making a lot of money and chose to ignore a group of employees who were slacking. But, in recent months, the US economy has entered a recession, and tech stock prices have plummeted. Google and Facebook have both implemented hiring freezes and are now indicating that their current employees must either shape up or be shipped out. It remains to be seen how employees react to these directives, but if their CEO’s statements are any indication, the perks associated with big tech may soon be a thing of the past at Google and Facebook.

It will be interesting to see how the end of freebies, as predicted by Pichai and Zuckerberg, affects workers and Silicon Valley’s dominant work culture.

Recently, Mark Zuckerberg and Sundar Pichai interacted with Google and Facebook employees, emphasizing how large their companies are. Output and work, however, are not proportional to this. They also suggested that many employees were probably just hanging out and not working.

Silicon Valley’s golden age appears to be coming to an end. In the last two weeks, two of the most powerful tech CEOs, Mark Zuckerberg of Meta (formerly Facebook) and Sundar Pichai of Google, have both emphasized how likely it is that tech firms employ far too many people, so many that some employees are simply hanging out and not working. While Pichai hinted at the company’s low employee productivity, Zuckerberg was blunt. He recently claimed that there are a “bunch of people at the company who shouldn’t be here.”

Pichai and Zuckerberg’s comments came at a time when Silicon Valley companies are cutting costs. It also happened during Pichai and Zuckerberg’s interactions with their employees, indicating that their remarks should serve as a warning to employees who are overly relaxed.

The comments could also indicate that things are changing in Silicon Valley. Google, Facebook, and other major technology companies are known for spoiling and loving their employees, making them some of the best places to work in the world. However, it appears that freebies are on their way out.

The initial shock came from Zuckerberg last month when it was reported that he reversed a decision made during the height of the pandemic to grant extra vacation days to employees. During his June 30 internal call, he even claimed that “a bunch of people at the company who shouldn’t be here” were present. Furthermore, he is said to be “okay” if employees feel they do not belong at Meta.

“And I’m afraid that if I raise expectations, set more ambitious goals, and generally turn up the heat a little bit, some of you will simply say that this place isn’t for you. That self-selection doesn’t bother me “He added.

During a meeting with employees a few days later, Google CEO Sundar Pichai inadvertently echoed Zuckerberg’s sentiments. Given Google’s employees, he believes productivity is lacking and subpar.

Pichai went on, “There are legitimate concerns that our overall productivity is inadequate in comparison to the number of employees we have. We must cultivate a more mission-focused, product-focused, and customer-focused culture “.

What is the main source of concern?

Investors are criticizing both Meta and Google in light of the global economic slowdown. For American and European businesses, the Russia-Ukraine conflict is especially difficult. For example, Facebook parent company Meta reported its first-ever revenue decline in the June 2022 quarter (Q2 2022). The company also anticipates lower revenue in the third quarter of 2022, which begins in September (Q3 2022).

Google, on the other hand, did not anticipate a revenue decline, but it significantly underperformed expectations. Google’s primary advertising business generated $56 billion in revenue in the most recent quarter. Despite a significant slowdown in growth rate from the same quarter last year, when it was nearly 69%, this represents 11.6% year-on-year growth.

If conditions do not improve, Pichai and Zuckerberg have indicated that layoffs may be implemented. They have also put a stop to hiring for the rest of the year.

Who is to blame, the company of Mark Zuckerberg, Sundar Pichai, or the employees?

It is not their fault that tech workers receive freebies and work in an environment that is likely to be among the best in the world. It is critical to remember this. Finally, tech companies with CEOs like Mark Zuckerberg and Sundar Pichai require workers who must be present and hands-on.

According to reports, the freebies and benefits are not gifts from technology companies. Those who take advantage of Google’s free lunch will be held accountable later.

The book How Silicon Valley Made Work Unpleasant for the Rest of Us, written by author and journalist Dan Lyons, was published in 2018. According to him, giving perks to employees at tech companies causes them to work longer hours and have less work-life balance. All of us who have recently worked from home will be able to relate to the feeling because working from home frequently meant working without a break or set hours.

Dan Lyons most likely stated in an interview that tech companies are not to blame for this “Simply acting nice for the sake of being nice. It is, in fact, profitable.”

However, it appears that some employees may be abusing the benefits provided by these tech behemoths. Some tech employees are known to “rest and vest,” which means they do not work hard and instead wait for their stock options, which vest over four years, to accumulate. Other employees have been known to “ghost quit,” which means doing the bare minimum to avoid being fired. Several other employees work remotely at these tech companies while freelancing or doing other full-time jobs.

All of this worked well when the economy was booming — Facebook and Google were making a lot of money and chose to ignore a group of employees who were slacking. But, in recent months, the US economy has entered a recession, and tech stock prices have plummeted. Google and Facebook have both implemented hiring freezes and are now indicating that their current employees must either shape up or be shipped out. It remains to be seen how employees react to these directives, but if their CEO’s statements are any indication, the perks associated with big tech may soon be a thing of the past at Google and Facebook.

It will be interesting to see how the end of freebies, as predicted by Pichai and Zuckerberg, affects workers and Silicon Valley’s dominant work culture.

edited and proofread by nikita sharma