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Google CEO defends job cuts in animated town hall as employees demand clarity on process



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Sundar Pichai, CEO, AlphabetLluis Gene | AFP | Getty ImagesDays after Google announced the largest round of layoffs in the company’s 25-year history, executives defended the job cuts and took questions from a concerned workforce during a town hall meeting on Monday.Google CEO Sundar Pichai led the companywide meeting and told employees that executives will see their bonuses cut. He pleaded with staffers to remain motivated as Google faces heightened competition in areas like artificial intelligence, while also trying to explain why employees who lost their jobs were removed from the internal system without warning. “I understand you are worried about what comes next for your work,” Pichai said. “Also very sad for the loss of some really good colleagues across the company. For those of you outside the U.S., the delay in being able to make and communicate decisions about roles in your region is undoubtedly causing anxiety.”CNBC listened to audio of the meeting, which followed the company’s announcement Friday that it’s eliminating 12,000 jobs, or roughly 6% of the full-time workforce. While employees had been bracing for a potential layoff, they wanted answers regarding the criteria that was used to determine who would stay and who would go. Some of the laid-off staffers had long tenures and were recently promoted.Pichai opened Monday’s town hall meeting acknowledging the Lunar New Year mass shooting in Southern California Saturday night that killed 11 people and injured at …

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