reading

STEVEN LEVY

BUSINESS 11.19.2019 08:00 AM

Google Shakes Up Its 'TGIF'—and Ends Its Culture of Openness Amid leaks and protests, CEO Sundar Pichai is drastically shrinking the company-wide meeting that was once a symbol of Google's idealism.

STEVEN LEVY

BUSINESS 11.19.2019 08:00 AM

Google Shakes Up Its 'TGIF'—and Ends Its Culture of Openness Amid leaks and protests, CEO Sundar Pichai is drastically shrinking the company-wide meeting that was once a symbol of Google's idealism.

SUBSCRIBE

Google Shakes Up Its 'TGIF'—and Ends Its Cult… Saved to Dropbox • Nov 19, 2019 at 8:12 PM

Last week, Google CEO Sundar Pichai sent

an email blast to his 100,000 or so

employees, cutting back the company’s

defining all-hands meeting known as

TGIF. The famous free-for-alls had

epitomized the company’s egalitarian

ethos, a place where employees and

leaders could talk freely about nearly

anything. More recently, however, the

biweekly meeting had become fraught as

it increasingly reflected Google’s tensions

as opposed to its aspirations. “It’s not

working in its current form,” Pichai said of

what was once the hallmark of Google

culture. In 2020, he declared, the

​PHOTOGRAPH: JENS GYARMATY/REDUX

Last week, Google CEO Sundar Pichai sent

an email blast to his 100,000 or so

employees, cutting back the company’s

defining all-hands meeting known as

TGIF. The famous free-for-alls had

epitomized the company’s egalitarian

ethos, a place where employees and

leaders could talk freely about nearly

anything. More recently, however, the

biweekly meeting had become fraught as

it increasingly reflected Google’s tensions

as opposed to its aspirations. “It’s not

working in its current form,” Pichai said of

what was once the hallmark of Google

culture. In 2020, he declared, the

​PHOTOGRAPH: JENS GYARMATY/REDUX

Last week, Google CEO Sundar Pichai sent

an email blast to his 100,000 or so

employees, cutting back the company’s

defining all-hands meeting known as

TGIF. The famous free-for-alls had

epitomized the company’s egalitarian

ethos, a place where employees and

leaders could talk freely about nearly

anything. More recently, however, the

biweekly meeting had become fraught as

it increasingly reflected Google’s tensions

as opposed to its aspirations. “It’s not

working in its current form,” Pichai said of

what was once the hallmark of Google

culture. In 2020, he declared, the

​PHOTOGRAPH: JENS GYARMATY/REDUX

meetings would be limited to once a

month, and they would be more

constrained affairs, sticking to “product

and business strategy.” Don’t Be Evil has

changed to Don’t Ask Me Anything.

With that, Pichai not only ended an era at

Google, he symbolically closed the

shutters on a dream held widely in the

tech world—that one can scale a company

to global ubiquity while maintaining the

camaraderie of an idealistic clan.

Pichai cited decreased attendance rates,

the difficulty of running a real-time

gathering across time zones, and an

uptick in meetings among big product

groups like Cloud or YouTube. His most

resonant reason, however, was that

Google employees could no longer be

trusted to keep matters confidential. He

cited “a coordinated effort to share our

conversations outside of the company

meetings would be limited to once a

month, and they would be more

constrained affairs, sticking to “product

and business strategy.” Don’t Be Evil has

changed to Don’t Ask Me Anything.

With that, Pichai not only ended an era at

Google, he symbolically closed the

shutters on a dream held widely in the

tech world—that one can scale a company

to global ubiquity while maintaining the

camaraderie of an idealistic clan.

Pichai cited decreased attendance rates,

the difficulty of running a real-time

gathering across time zones, and an

uptick in meetings among big product

groups like Cloud or YouTube. His most

resonant reason, however, was that

Google employees could no longer be

trusted to keep matters confidential. He

cited “a coordinated effort to share our

conversations outside of the company

after every TGIF ... it has affected our

ability to use TGIF as a forum for candid

conversations on important topics.” He

also noted that while many want to hear

about product launches and business

strategies, some attend to “hear answers

on other topics.” It seems obvious he was

referring to recent moments when

aggrieved employees registered objections

to Google’s policies and missteps—on

developing a search engine for China,

bestowing millions of dollars to executives

charged with sexual misconduct, or hiring

a former Homeland Security apparatchik.

Pichai says Google may address such

issues in specific town-hall meetings

when warranted.

Google isn’t the only company to rein in

its fora because not everyone on its team

is on its team. Facebook recently had its

own issues with its weekly all-hands,

where Mark Zuckerberg fields questions

after every TGIF ... it has affected our

ability to use TGIF as a forum for candid

conversations on important topics.” He

also noted that while many want to hear

about product launches and business

strategies, some attend to “hear answers

on other topics.” It seems obvious he was

referring to recent moments when

aggrieved employees registered objections

to Google’s policies and missteps—on

developing a search engine for China,

bestowing millions of dollars to executives

charged with sexual misconduct, or hiring

a former Homeland Security apparatchik.

Pichai says Google may address such

issues in specific town-hall meetings

when warranted.

Google isn’t the only company to rein in

its fora because not everyone on its team

is on its team. Facebook recently had its

own issues with its weekly all-hands,

where Mark Zuckerberg fields questions

from his own far-flung workforce. A July

session of its weekly meeting leaked to

Casey Newton of The Verge, who

published it in its entirety. Zuckerberg not

only acknowledged the authenticity of the

leak but, on very little notice, decided to

publicly live-stream the next week’s all-

hands. Which sort of meant that it was no

longer an internal meeting, but a kind of

performance version of one. Facebook,

too, is reconsidering its all-hands strategy.

You need to enable JavaScript to run this app.

The loss of TGIF is huge. The ability to ask

the boss any question in a timely fashion

from his own far-flung workforce. A July

session of its weekly meeting leaked to

Casey Newton of The Verge, who

published it in its entirety. Zuckerberg not

only acknowledged the authenticity of the

leak but, on very little notice, decided to

publicly live-stream the next week’s all-

hands. Which sort of meant that it was no

longer an internal meeting, but a kind of

performance version of one. Facebook,

too, is reconsidering its all-hands strategy.

You need to enable JavaScript to run this app.

The loss of TGIF is huge. The ability to ask

the boss any question in a timely fashion

from his own far-flung workforce. A July

session of its weekly meeting leaked to

Casey Newton of The Verge, who

published it in its entirety. Zuckerberg not

only acknowledged the authenticity of the

leak but, on very little notice, decided to

publicly live-stream the next week’s all-

hands. Which sort of meant that it was no

longer an internal meeting, but a kind of

performance version of one. Facebook,

too, is reconsidering its all-hands strategy.

You need to enable JavaScript to run this app.

The loss of TGIF is huge. The ability to ask

the boss any question in a timely fashion

was a powerful symbol of employee

empowerment. The practice began when

Google was relatively tiny, as a relaxed

session—beer was served!—where

cofounders Larry Page and Sergey Brin

took queries, no matter how challenging,

from anyone who cared to ask. The

company even invented an app that

allowed employees to rank potential

questions, so pressing ones would get

precedence.

ADVERTISEMENT

was a powerful symbol of employee

empowerment. The practice began when

Google was relatively tiny, as a relaxed

session—beer was served!—where

cofounders Larry Page and Sergey Brin

took queries, no matter how challenging,

from anyone who cared to ask. The

company even invented an app that

allowed employees to rank potential

questions, so pressing ones would get

precedence.

ADVERTISEMENT

When I was writing a book about Google

some years ago, I sat in on several TGIFs,

held in the cavernous Charlie’s Cafe on

the Mountain View campus. They followed

a format that became a template for

dozens of new companies thereafter. First

was a welcoming ceremony of new

employees (at peak a few dozen of them

might attend), who were required to wear

their “Noogler” beanies—colorful caps

with plastic propellers on top. Then there

would be news and announcements,

followed by a presentation or demo by

one or more groups. A new product or

policy initiative might get announced,

even if its real-world unveiling was

months off. The company was confident

that news would not leak out, and it

didn’t. (For example, Google shared

information that it was working on its

own browser, Chrome, over a year before

it actually launched.)

As Google grew, TGIF evolved. Originally a

When I was writing a book about Google

some years ago, I sat in on several TGIFs,

held in the cavernous Charlie’s Cafe on

the Mountain View campus. They followed

a format that became a template for

dozens of new companies thereafter. First

was a welcoming ceremony of new

employees (at peak a few dozen of them

might attend), who were required to wear

their “Noogler” beanies—colorful caps

with plastic propellers on top. Then there

would be news and announcements,

followed by a presentation or demo by

one or more groups. A new product or

policy initiative might get announced,

even if its real-world unveiling was

months off. The company was confident

that news would not leak out, and it

didn’t. (For example, Google shared

information that it was working on its

own browser, Chrome, over a year before

it actually launched.)

As Google grew, TGIF evolved. Originally a

Friday afternoon end-of-week

celebration, several years ago it moved to

Thursdays so that those across the globe

wouldn’t have to tune in on the weekend.

And about a year ago it switched from

weekly to biweekly. But very little else

changed. Even as they did fewer public

appearances, cofounders Larry Page and

Sergey Brin regularly led the sessions. The

friendly audience relaxed them, and they

joked their way through things. More

recently, when Page and Brin officially

became Alphabet executives and Pichai

ran the TGIFs, they would still sometimes

drop in—kind of a Proof of Life that the

executives, especially the publicity-shy

Page, were still around.

Though Google didn’t invent the

phenomenon of a weekly all-hands, the

success of TGIF made it a much-emulated

practice. Facebook held its meeting from

the start; Zuckerberg would end by

Friday afternoon end-of-week

celebration, several years ago it moved to

Thursdays so that those across the globe

wouldn’t have to tune in on the weekend.

And about a year ago it switched from

weekly to biweekly. But very little else

changed. Even as they did fewer public

appearances, cofounders Larry Page and

Sergey Brin regularly led the sessions. The

friendly audience relaxed them, and they

joked their way through things. More

recently, when Page and Brin officially

became Alphabet executives and Pichai

ran the TGIFs, they would still sometimes

drop in—kind of a Proof of Life that the

executives, especially the publicity-shy

Page, were still around.

Though Google didn’t invent the

phenomenon of a weekly all-hands, the

success of TGIF made it a much-emulated

practice. Facebook held its meeting from

the start; Zuckerberg would end by

Friday afternoon end-of-week

celebration, several years ago it moved to

Thursdays so that those across the globe

wouldn’t have to tune in on the weekend.

And about a year ago it switched from

weekly to biweekly. But very little else

changed. Even as they did fewer public

appearances, cofounders Larry Page and

Sergey Brin regularly led the sessions. The

friendly audience relaxed them, and they

joked their way through things. More

recently, when Page and Brin officially

became Alphabet executives and Pichai

ran the TGIFs, they would still sometimes

drop in—kind of a Proof of Life that the

executives, especially the publicity-shy

Page, were still around.

Though Google didn’t invent the

phenomenon of a weekly all-hands, the

success of TGIF made it a much-emulated

practice. Facebook held its meeting from

the start; Zuckerberg would end by

shouting “Domination!” Twitter had a

version called Tea Time. You’d probably

be hard pressed to find a successful

startup or unicorn that didn’t have such a

session. What made the weekly all-hands

so attractive was its power to bind a

workforce to a shared mission. The fact

that such meetings could continue when

the head count reached five figures and

more reflected a crazy optimism that, with

the right kind of culture, the physics of

corporate alienation could be defied.

ADVERTISEMENT

shouting “Domination!” Twitter had a

version called Tea Time. You’d probably

be hard pressed to find a successful

startup or unicorn that didn’t have such a

session. What made the weekly all-hands

so attractive was its power to bind a

workforce to a shared mission. The fact

that such meetings could continue when

the head count reached five figures and

more reflected a crazy optimism that, with

the right kind of culture, the physics of

corporate alienation could be defied.

ADVERTISEMENT

Now we’ve learned—no surprise—that

physics wins. The big problems of these

big companies have led employees to

more aggressively question their bosses,

and in some cases even sabotage them by

leaking the secrets shared in these

meetings. As any reader of spy novels can

tell you, the presence of moles in an

organization is a morale-killer. It also

harshes the corporate mellow when

workers use putatively feel-good

meetings to stage hostile confrontations

with their leaders on an increasing

number of sore points. In earlier times,

employees tended to express their gripes

with the expectation that leaders and

workers were colleagues, too evolved to

get hung up on power disparities. Now,

with giant corporations worrying more

about market dominance and regulators

than about feel-good missions, that

kumbaya sensibility is gone.

That’s why, when Google said Thank

Now we’ve learned—no surprise—that

physics wins. The big problems of these

big companies have led employees to

more aggressively question their bosses,

and in some cases even sabotage them by

leaking the secrets shared in these

meetings. As any reader of spy novels can

tell you, the presence of moles in an

organization is a morale-killer. It also

harshes the corporate mellow when

workers use putatively feel-good

meetings to stage hostile confrontations

with their leaders on an increasing

number of sore points. In earlier times,

employees tended to express their gripes

with the expectation that leaders and

workers were colleagues, too evolved to

get hung up on power disparities. Now,

with giant corporations worrying more

about market dominance and regulators

than about feel-good missions, that

kumbaya sensibility is gone.

That’s why, when Google said Thank

Goodness It’s Finished, it ended a lot more

than a weekly meeting. Winter has come

to Silicon Valley. And no beer for you.

More Great WIRED Stories

The influencer scientists debunking

online misinformation

Do we need a special language to

talk to aliens?

These researchers are trying to build

a better blockchain

New emoji are so boring, but they

don't have to be

This jet can now land itself, no pilot

needed

👁 A safer way to protect your data;

plus, check out the latest news on AI

📱 Torn between the latest phones?

Never fear—check out our iPhone

buying guide and favorite Android

phones

Goodness It’s Finished, it ended a lot more

than a weekly meeting. Winter has come

to Silicon Valley. And no beer for you.

More Great WIRED Stories

The influencer scientists debunking

online misinformation

Do we need a special language to

talk to aliens?

These researchers are trying to build

a better blockchain

New emoji are so boring, but they

don't have to be

This jet can now land itself, no pilot

needed

👁 A safer way to protect your data;

plus, check out the latest news on AI

📱 Torn between the latest phones?

Never fear—check out our iPhone

buying guide and favorite Android

phones

Goodness It’s Finished, it ended a lot more

than a weekly meeting. Winter has come

to Silicon Valley. And no beer for you.

More Great WIRED Stories

The influencer scientists debunking

online misinformation

Do we need a special language to

talk to aliens?

These researchers are trying to build

a better blockchain

New emoji are so boring, but they

don't have to be

This jet can now land itself, no pilot

needed

👁 A safer way to protect your data;

plus, check out the latest news on AI

📱 Torn between the latest phones?

Never fear—check out our iPhone

buying guide and favorite Android

phones

Steven Levy covers the gamut of tech subjects for WIRED, in print and online, and has been contributing to the magazine since its inception. He has been writing about technology for more than 30 years, writing columns for Rolling Stone and Macworld; leading technology coverage for Newsweek; and cocreating a... Read more

EDITOR AT LARGE

FEATURED VIDEO

WIRED25: Google CEO Sundar Pichai on

Doing Business in China, Working with

the Military, and More

Steven Levy covers the gamut of tech subjects for WIRED, in print and online, and has been contributing to the magazine since its inception. He has been writing about technology for more than 30 years, writing columns for Rolling Stone and Macworld; leading technology coverage for Newsweek; and cocreating a... Read more

EDITOR AT LARGE

FEATURED VIDEO

WIRED25: Google CEO Sundar Pichai on

Doing Business in China, Working with

the Military, and More

TOPICS GOOGLE SUNDAR PICHAI

MORE FROM WIRED

To See the Future of Disinformation, You Build Robo-Trolls

TOM SIMONITE

TOPICS GOOGLE SUNDAR PICHAI

MORE FROM WIRED

To See the Future of Disinformation, You Build Robo-Trolls

TOM SIMONITE

TOPICS GOOGLE SUNDAR PICHAI

MORE FROM WIRED

To See the Future of Disinformation, You Build Robo-Trolls

TOM SIMONITE

The Apple Card Didn't 'See' Gender —and That's the Problem

WILL KNIGHT

Microtasks Might Be the Future of White-Collar Work

CLIVE THOMPSON

The Apple Card Didn't 'See' Gender —and That's the Problem

WILL KNIGHT

Microtasks Might Be the Future of White-Collar Work

CLIVE THOMPSON

Every Startup Needs to Prepare for Its Downfall

ARIELLE PARDES

AI For Good Is Often Bad

MARK LATONERO

Every Startup Needs to Prepare for Its Downfall

ARIELLE PARDES

AI For Good Is Often Bad

MARK LATONERO

Why Is Google Slow-Walking Its Breakthroughs in AI?

TOM SIMONITE

Every Tech Company Wants to Be a Bank—Someday, At Least

GREGORY BARBER

Why Is Google Slow-Walking Its Breakthroughs in AI?

TOM SIMONITE

Every Tech Company Wants to Be a Bank—Someday, At Least

GREGORY BARBER

Why Is Google Slow-Walking Its Breakthroughs in AI?

TOM SIMONITE

Every Tech Company Wants to Be a Bank—Someday, At Least

GREGORY BARBER

Chasing Instagram Analytics, People are Becoming Grocery Stores, Cruise Lines, and More

LOUISE MATSAKIS

SPONSORED STORIESSPONSORED STORIES

WWW.EASYQUIZES.COM

Quiz For Tinnitus Ringing In Ears

ONLINE COLLEGE | SPONSORED LINKS

Online Colleges Are Finally Lowering Costs | Search Today

ENERGY BILL CRUNCHER

California: You Should Get Solar Panels Immediately If You Own A Home In These Zip Codes

LIFESUM

The keto diet app that is going to change your life

FINANCEJOURNAL24.COM

Born Before 1985? Gov't Will Pay $271/Month Off Your Mortgage If You Qualify

CELEBSPULSE

20 Vintage Ads That Would Never Be Allowed Today

Chasing Instagram Analytics, People are Becoming Grocery Stores, Cruise Lines, and More

LOUISE MATSAKIS

SPONSORED STORIESSPONSORED STORIES

WWW.EASYQUIZES.COM

Quiz For Tinnitus Ringing In Ears

ONLINE COLLEGE | SPONSORED LINKS

Online Colleges Are Finally Lowering Costs | Search Today

ENERGY BILL CRUNCHER

California: You Should Get Solar Panels Immediately If You Own A Home In These Zip Codes

LIFESUM

The keto diet app that is going to change your life

FINANCEJOURNAL24.COM

Born Before 1985? Gov't Will Pay $271/Month Off Your Mortgage If You Qualify

CELEBSPULSE

20 Vintage Ads That Would Never Be Allowed Today

WIRED is where tomorrow is realized. It is the essential source of information and ideas that make

sense of a world in constant transformation. The WIRED conversation illuminates how technology is changing every aspect of our lives—from culture to business, science to design. The breakthroughs and

innovations that we uncover lead to new ways of thinking, new connections, and new industries.

POWERED BY

WIRED is where tomorrow is realized. It is the essential source of information and ideas that make

sense of a world in constant transformation. The WIRED conversation illuminates how technology is changing every aspect of our lives—from culture to business, science to design. The breakthroughs and

innovations that we uncover lead to new ways of thinking, new connections, and new industries.

POWERED BY

WIRED is where tomorrow is realized. It is the essential source of information and ideas that make

sense of a world in constant transformation. The WIRED conversation illuminates how technology is changing every aspect of our lives—from culture to business, science to design. The breakthroughs and

innovations that we uncover lead to new ways of thinking, new connections, and new industries.

POWERED BY

RSS

Site Map

Accessibility Help

Condé Nast Store

© 2019 Condé Nast. All rights reserved. Use of this

site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement

(updated 5/25/18) and Privacy Policy and Cookie

Statement (updated 5/25/18) and Your California

Privacy Rights. Wired may earn a portion of sales from

products that are purchased through our site as part

of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. The

material on this site may not be reproduced,

MORE FROM WIRED

CONTACT

RSS

Site Map

Accessibility Help

Condé Nast Store

© 2019 Condé Nast. All rights reserved. Use of this

site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement

(updated 5/25/18) and Privacy Policy and Cookie

Statement (updated 5/25/18) and Your California

Privacy Rights. Wired may earn a portion of sales from

products that are purchased through our site as part

of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. The

material on this site may not be reproduced,

MORE FROM WIRED

CONTACT