以 賽 亞 書 41:17-20
17 困 苦 窮 乏 人 尋 求 水 卻 沒 有 ； 他 們 因 口 渴 ， 舌 頭 乾 燥 。 我 ─ 耶 和 華 必 應 允 他 們 ； 我 ─ 以 色 列 的 神 必 不 離 棄 他 們 。
18 我 要 在 淨 光 的 高 處 開 江 河 ， 在 谷 中 開 泉 源 ； 我 要 使 沙 漠 變 為 水 池 ， 使 乾 地 變 為 湧 泉 。
19 我 要 在 曠 野 種 上 香 柏 樹 、 皂 莢 樹 、 番 石 榴 樹 ， 和 野 橄 欖 樹 。 我 在 沙 漠 要 把 松 樹 、 杉 樹 ， 並 黃 楊 樹 一 同 栽 植 ；
20 好 叫 人 看 見 、 知 道 、 思 想 、 明 白 ； 這 是 耶 和 華 的 手 所 做 的 ， 是 以 色 列 的 聖 者 所 造 的 。
Google is launching a new effort called “Simplicity Sprint” in an effort to improve efficiency and improve employee focus during an uncertain economic environment.
The Alphabet company had its regular all-hands meeting last Wednesday, and the tone was somewhat urgent as employees expressed concern over layoffs and CEO Sundar Pichai asked employees for input, according to attendees and related internal documentation viewed by CNBC. Google’s productivity as a company isn’t where it needs to be even with the head count it has, Pichai told employees in the meeting.
“I wanted to give some additional context following our earnings results, and ask for your help as well,” Pichai opened, referring to the company’s second-quarter earnings report Tuesday. “It’s clear we are facing a challenging macro environment with more uncertainty ahead.”
He added, “There are real concerns that our productivity as a whole is not where it needs to be for the head count we have.” He asked employees to help “create a culture that is more mission-focused, more focused on our products, more customer focused. We should think about how we can minimize distractions and really raise the bar on both product excellence and productivity.”
It comes after the company on Tuesday reported its second consecutive quarter of weaker-than-expected earnings and revenue. Revenue growth slowed to 13% in the quarter from 62% a year earlier, when the company was benefiting from the post-Covid pandemic reopening and consumer spending was on the rise. CFO Ruth Porat said she expected some of the challenges to continue in the near term but the company doesn’t give formal guidance.
It also comes after Pichai recently announced that it would slow the pace of hiring and investments through 2023, asking employees to work “with greater urgency” and “more hunger” than shown “on sunnier days.”
“I would love to get all your help,” Pichai said at Wednesday’s all-hands meeting, speaking to its more than 170,000 full-time employees.
To that end, Pichai introduced a “Simplicity Sprint” initiative to crowdsource ideas for quicker product development. “Sprint” is a term often used in software development and by tech startups to denote short, focused pushes toward a common goal.
Pichai said the company is opening the floor for employees to share their ideas through Aug. 15 through an internal survey that asks if management can reach out if they have follow-up questions.
It’s an attempt for the company to “get better results faster,” Pichai said during the meeting. The survey, which was viewed by CNBC, shows it may also be used to cut back in certain areas.
Questions in the survey include “What would help you work with greater clarity and efficiency to serve our users and customers? Where should we remove speed bumps to get to better results faster? How do we eliminate waste and stay entrepreneurial and focused as we grow?”
The request also comes as the company tries to ease tensions between employees and executives after an annual “Googlegeist” survey showed staffers gave the company particularly poor marks on pay, promotions and execution.
Highlighting a 7% dip in views about Google’s execution, executive Prabhakar Raghavan at the time wrote “that means we need to bring more attention to busting bureaucracy.” Raghavan is among the most important and influential execs at the company, overseeing search, ads, mapping and other areas.
In May, the company announced it would overhaul its performance evaluation process that will result in increased salaries while hoping to reduce the bureaucracy around compensation and raises.
In Wednesday’s all-hands meeting, executives addressed employees’ concern about potential layoffs. One of the top-rated questions was “In light of Sundar’s statement that sharpening Google’s focus ‘means consolidating where investments overlap and streamlining processes,’ should we expect layoffs?”
Pichai handed the question off to Google’s chief people officer, Fiona Cicconi.
While Cicconi said the company is still hiring and doesn’t have plans for layoffs right now, she didn’t rule it out.
“We’re asking teams to be more focused and efficient and we’re working out what that means as a company as well. Even though we can’t be sure of the economy in the future, we’re not currently looking to reduce Google’s overall workforce.”
She also said, “I really get that there is some anxiety around this based on what we’re hearing from other companies and what they’re doing and as Sundar mentioned, we’re still hiring for critical roles,” Cicconi said. She asked employees to remember that it’s still the biggest hiring year in the company’s history.
In the second quarter, Alphabet said its head count rose 21% to 174,014 full-time employees from 144,056 the year prior. However, the company said last month it will slow the pace of hiring and investments through 2023, and Pichai told employees in a memo, “we’re not immune to economic headwinds.”
Pichai noted the broader economic headwinds multiple times. “If you’re looking to what’s happening externally — I’m sure you’re all reading the news— the people in businesses who use Google products are facing their own challenges right now.”
Sept. 23, 2022
I like to learn to invest in long term. It is important for me to learn how to invest in long term. The stock market is so volatile, and I also try to understand better about CPI 2% instead of 8% goal.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai, speaking at the Code Conference last week, suggested the tech company needed to become 20% more efficient — a comment some in the industry took to mean headcount reductions could soon be on the table. Now, it seems that prediction may be coming true. TechCrunch has learned, and Google confirmed, the company is slashing projects at its in-house R&D division known as Area 120.
The company on Tuesday informed staff of a “reduction in force” that will see the incubator halved in size, as half the teams working on new product innovations heard their projects were being canceled. Previously, there were 14 projects housed in Area 120, and this has been cut down to just seven. Employees whose projects will not continue were told they’ll need to find a new job within Google by the end of January 2023, or they’ll be terminated. It’s not clear that everyone will be able to do so.
According to Area 120 lead Elias Roman, the division aims to sharpen its focus to only AI-first projects, as opposed to its earlier mandate to fuel product incubation across all of Google.
TechCrunch learned of the changes from a source with knowledge of the matter. Google confirmed the changes in a statement.
“Area 120 is an in-house incubator for experimental new products. The group regularly starts and stops projects with an eye toward pursuing the most promising opportunities,” a Google spokesperson said. “We’ve recently shared that Area 120 will be shifting its focus to projects that build on Google’s deep investment in AI and have the potential to solve important user problems. As a result, Area 120 is winding down several projects to make way for new work. Impacted team members will receive dedicated support as they explore new projects and opportunities at Google.”
Over the years, the division has launched a number of successful products, including the HTML5 gaming platform GameSnacks, now integrated with Google Chrome; an AirTable rival called Tables which exited to Google Cloud; an AI-powered conversational ads platform AdLingo, which also exited to Cloud; video platforms Tangi and Shoploop, which exited to Google Search and Shopping, respectively; the web-based travel app Touring Bird, which exited to Commerce; and a technical interview platform Byteboard, a rare external spinout.
One of the projects now being cut with the changes is Qaya, a service offering web storefronts for digital creators, launched late last year. Similar to “link in bio” solutions available today like Linktree or Beacons, Qaya additionally integrated with Google Search and Google Shopping. It could also be linked with a YouTube Merch Shelf, to promote the creator’s products and services.
The other six projects being canceled weren’t yet launched but included a financial accounting project for Google Sheets, another shopping-related product, analytics for AR/VR, and, unfortunately, three climate-related projects. These latter projects had focused on EV car-charging maps with routing, carbon accounting for IT and carbon measurement of forests.
The changes follow last year’s reorg of the Area 120 team, which saw the group moved into a new “Google Labs” division led by veteran Googler Clay Bavor. The incubator was then grouped alongside other forward-looking efforts at Google like its virtual and augmented reality developments and its cutting-edge holographic videoconferencing project known as Project Starline. We understand Google Labs and Starline are not impacted for the time being.
Pichai announced in July that Google would slow its hiring and sharpen its focus, but the company had said larger layoffs were not planned — it would still hire in engineering, technical and other critical roles. However, as part of its renewed emphasis on productivity, the company acknowledges it may need to restructure teams, deprecate products or even, at times, eliminate roles.
As for the Area 120 team members whose projects have now been discontinued, Google’s recruiters will work to help them find new roles, though placement is not a given in situations like these.
Google has north of 174,000 employees. Area 120 had over 170 employees at the beginning of the year but is now under 100, one source said. Google told us these figures are not accurate, however.
Editor’s note: The article was updated moments after publication with Google’s comment. Updated 7:45 pm with correction about headcount.
I acted as I’ve seen myself act on the rare occasion of a car accident: exit the situation as fast as possible and return to normalcy. I left my bedroom and went to shuffle my kids through our morning routine, but I wasn’t myself. I felt like I was in a fog. I pretended to be calm, but I felt I was one kid’s tantrum away from losing it that morning. Before leaving our NYC apartment, as I was getting dressed, my husband was going through his morning routine, starting the day with listening to the news… using Google’s assistant of course. I kissed him good morning and told him I got laid off. “You’re joking right?” he said. “No” I said and smiled. This went on twice more, before the message landed. I left him there and dropped the kids at school.
I was a month shy of celebrating my 9th Googleversary (that’s what Googlers call their work anniversary). A year ago I experienced a crisis. Before joining Google I couldn’t have imagined staying at the same job for longer than 2–3 years, and there I was, 8 years and having fun. That crisis led me to switch roles. After 8.5 years of “Making Googlers uniquely productive”, I joined Google’s internal incubator — Area 120.
Area 120 was a place where any Googler could pitch an idea and get it funded (hire a team, get money, get 6 months to prove your idea). Successful ideas got “acquired” by Google’s product area (think Maps, Search, Ads, YouTube) and get prime time, well if everything goes well.
Here is the link.
Many of Google's best ideas begin as experiments or passion projects. At Area 120, we work on 20% projects 100% of the time.
Siman Hermon - https://chibban.medium.com/an-out-of-google-experience-6956570d6dd5
I was a month shy of celebrating my 9th Googleversary (that’s what Googlers call their work anniversary). A year ago I experienced a crisis. Before joining Google I couldn’t have imagined staying at the same job for longer than 2–3 years, and there I was, 8 years and having fun. That crisis led me to switch roles. After 8.5 years of “Making Googlers uniquely productive”, I joined Google’s internal incubator — Area 120.
When Business School started I had 13 years of industry experience and 7 years of leadership experience. That meant I was the average student in terms of age and years of experience for the executive MBA track. I had a good salary so giving up on 2 years of income while paying the cost of Business School was not at all compelling. I wanted my peers to be similar to me, ideally older than 25 year old and more experienced in their respective industries. I seeked to interact with and learn from other leaders, and I had no plans nor desire to switch careers.
Full time MBA
This option caters to people who have a few years of work experience, usually without managerial experience. These are people who generally work in investment banking or consultancy companies or folks who seek to make a career switch (e.g. software developer to product manager). The average age of students in the program is between 25 and 27 years old. Since you are a full time student, you have plenty of time and opportunities to connect with your fellow classmates, build relationships and establish a strong professional network. Coming into the program students average salary is $80K and they often double their income upon graduation (source).
Part time MBA
This option was the most flexible and the least structured. Students could speed through the program in about 2 years or take 5 years to finish .Your peer students would be likely to change every semester and potentially in every course, as each student can choose their course setup, making it hard to establish long term relationships and solidify a network of peers. Lastly, students’ prior work experience is mixed, potentially diminishing ability to learn from your peers.
To be very honest, I ruled this option out early, as it felt like the worst of all worlds.
Executive MBA
The executive track caters to people who have substantial experience in the industry, ideally including a formal management role. The average student age was 32 years old, with 13 years of industry experience and 6 years of managerial experience. Given the extensive work experience, monetary ROI is harder to predict but most attendees will see a positive impact to their careers. Executive programs more-or-less accommodate your normal job schedule, taking place during weekends and evenings and offering full courses in a concentrated week of studies.
Shared elements
Cost is roughly the same across all options, but note that the full time track will require missing about 2 years of work…. and income, while the other programs enable getting a salary while earning an MBA.
Eighteen days ago, many of my friends and colleagues were part of the 12,000 Googlers laid off. Having worked alongside them for 8 years, it’s an incredible loss of energy, talent and skills. Work just won’t be the same 😢.
A CARFAX Canada Vehicle History Report (VHR)’s registration, service record, and open recall sections tell you about the condition of the car, how it’s been cared for and whether there are any defects associated with the model you are considering.
Shawn Vording, Vice President of Automotive Sales at CARFAX Canada, takes us through all three sections and points out what consumers need to pay attention to.
Like Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation (MTO), CARFAX Canada classifies vehicle condition according to brand. The names may vary slightly between the Ministry and CARFAX ꟷ CARFAX Canada uses ‘normal’ to mean ‘none’ and ‘non-repairable to mean ‘irreparable’ ꟷ but the classifications meet the same criteria as MTO’s:
When talking about branding Vording says, “Essentially normal means good, and for anything outside of normal, it may mean that you want to think about it.”
This section documents the vehicle’s maintenance history. When going through the section, you may notice some services have more details than others. For one entry, you may read “Vehicle serviced; brake inspection” while another entry may say “Vehicle serviced.” Inconsistent details don’t indicate the vehicle’s condition: it describes what information CARFAX Canada could get from service facilities. According to Vording, “the acquisition of service records has become a big area of focus for us in the last couple of years, as the quality of repair on vehicles improves so will the information about the service.”
CARFAX Canada is making progress in data acquisition, but the information available often depends on the repair shop, the technician and what information the technician records.
Vording advises in addition to understanding vehicle history reports, car-buyers should take two more steps: get the car inspected by a licensed mechanic you trust and take the car on a thorough test drive. “Those three areas combined are the diligence you want to put into making a big purchase like a car” Vording says.
While Transport Canada’s website will tell you whether the year, make, and model of a vehicle had an open recall, it won’t share whether a recall has been fixed, but CARFAX Canada’s VHR will.
CARFAX runs checks on recalls right until the VHR has been date stamped. If a report was date-stamped on January 25th, 10:23 a.m., CARFAX Canada has checked for recalls up to that exact minute. Always check the date of your CARFAX Canada report to ensure you have the most accurate information.
