Google surely always viewed their workers as significantly more expendable than their workers thought Google viewed them. Nonetheless, Google would tread carefully to avoid giving the appearance that it wasn’t a special worker-driven “googly” culture, and would at least make an effort to give things the appearance of a semi-democratic, all-opinions-valued tech utopian workplace. Most workers at most companies couldn’t come to work and protest, but that was the point of Google allowing it - passionate, tolerated workers differentiated Google culture.

But since the first Google layoffs during the pandemic, it’s been clear that Google’s no longer sees any value in this charade. They started when they carefully sidelined and fired employees that internally protested the layoffs. And now they’re fully embracing the dystopia. Google has a new message for employees: You are expendable. We are the decision-makers. Fall in line or get out. Their memo about it isn’t even subtle, citing violations of workplace policies, but giving no explanation why anything done connects to any firable offense.

This comment isn’t to suggest there’s a fix. There isn’t. Google has made its choice, and it’s killed its “googly” culture to please its now full-on corporate middle- and upper-management. I just would like to note the time of death on the certificate.