PoliticsSep 12, 2018
MicrosoftNegaDuck

Leaked video: Google responded to Trump’s election with tears, hugs

Features co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, VPs Kent Walker and Eileen Naughton, CFO Ruth Porat, and CEO Sundar Pichai. Sorry about the source, but for what its worth: https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2018/09/12/leaked-video-google-leaderships-dismayed-reaction-to-trump-election/ Key moments: (00:00:00 – 00:01:12) Google co-founder Sergey Brin states that the weekly meeting is “probably not the most joyous we’ve had” and that “most people here are pretty upset and pretty sad.” (00:00:24) Brin contrasts the disappointment of Trump’s election with his excitement at the legalization of cannabis in California, triggering laughs and applause from the audience of Google employees. (00:01:12) Returning to seriousness, Brin says he is “deeply offen[ded]” by the election of Trump, and that the election “conflicts with many of [Google’s] values.” (00:09:10) Trying to explain the motivations of Trump supporters, Senior VP for Global Affairs, Kent Walker concludes: “fear, not just in the United States, but around the world is fueling concerns, xenophobia, hatred, and a desire for answers that may or may not be there.” (00:09:35) Walker goes on to describe the Trump phenomenon as a sign of “tribalism that’s self-destructive [in] the long-term.” (00:09:55) Striking an optimistic tone, Walker assures Google employees that despite the election, “history is on our side” and that the “moral arc of history bends towards progress.” (00:10:45) Walker approvingly quotes former Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi’s comparison between “the world of the wall” with its “isolation and defensiveness” and the “world of the square, the piazza, the marketplace, where people come together into a community and enrich each other’s lives.” (00:13:10) CFO Ruth Porat appears to break down in tears when discussing the election result. (00:15:20) Porat promises that Google will “use the great strength and resources and reach we have to continue to advance really important values.” (00:16:50) Stating “we all need a hug,” she then instructs the audience of Google employees to hug the person closest to them. (00:20:24) Eileen Noughton, VP of People Operations, promises that Google’s policy team in DC is “all over” the immigration issue and that the company will “keep a close watch on it.” (00:21:26) Noughton jokes about Google employees asking, ‘Can I move to Canada?’ after the election. She goes on to seriously discuss the options available to Google employees who wish to leave the country. (00:23:12) Noughton does acknowledge “diversity of opinion and political persuasion” and notes that she has heard from conservative Google employees who say they “haven’t felt entirely comfortable revealing who [they] are.” and urged “tolerance.” (Several months later, the company would fire James Damore allegedly for disagreeing with progressive narratives.) (00:27:00) Responding to a question about “filter bubbles,” Sundar Pichai promises to work towards “correcting” Google’s role in them (00:27:30) Sergey Brin praises an audience member’s suggestion of increasing matched Google employee donations to progressive groups. (00:34:40) Brin compares Trump voters to “extremists,” arguing for a correlation between the economic background of Trump supporters and the kinds of voters who back extremist movements. Brin says that “voting is not a rational act” and that not all of Trump’s support can be attributed to “income disparity.” He suggests that Trump voters might have been motivated by boredom rather than legitimate concerns. (00:49:10) An employee asks if Google is willing to “invest in grassroots, hyper-local efforts to bring tools and services and understanding of Google products and knowledge” so that people can “make informed decisions that are best for themselves.” Pichai’s response: Google will ensure its “educational products” reach “segments of the population [they] are not [currently] fully reaching.” (00:54:33) An employee asks what Google is going to do about “misinformation” and “fake news” shared by “low-information voters.” Pichai responds by stating that “investments in machine learning and AI” are a “big opportunity” to fix the problem. (00:56:12) Responding to an audience member, Walker says Google must ensure the rise of populism doesn’t turn into “a world war or something catastrophic … and instead is a blip, a hiccup.” (00:58:22) Brin compares Trump voters to supporters of fascism and communism, linking the former movement to “boredom,” which Brin previously linked to Trump voters. “It sort of sneaks up sometimes, really bad things” says Brin. (01:01:15) A Google employee states: “speaking to white men, there’s an opportunity for you right now to understand your privilege” and urges employees to “go through the bias-busting training, read about privilege, read about the real history of oppression in our country.” He urges employees to “discuss the issues you are passionate about during Thanksgiving dinner and don’t back down and laugh it off when you hear the voice of oppression speak through metaphors.” Every executive on stage – the CEO, CFO, two VPs and the two Co-founders – applaud the employee. (01:01:57) An audience member asks if the executives see “anything positive from this election result.” The audience of Google employees, and the executives on stage, burst into laughter. “Boy, that’s a really tough one right now” says Brin.

LEAKED VIDEO: Google Leadership's Dismayed Reaction to Trump Election | Breitbart
LEAKED VIDEO: Google Leadership's Dismayed Reaction to Trump Election | Breitbart
Breitbart
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Square iLAn11 Sep 12, 2018

What’s your point

Microsoft gdRL52 Sep 12, 2018

The bias is real and it is strong. It flows in the veins of the company. Considering they control how 90% of the people of the world access the internet, it is obvious that this is a problem. To be even more pedantic, most people never go past the first page of results. Censorship doesn’t need to exclude content but can also be pushing it out of sight.

Square iLAn11 Sep 12, 2018

None of this even has anything to do with censoring content in search results though? Where does it say they will “do anything to take down those that oppose the leftist mantra”? It must be exhausting to be this sad at angry all the time...

This comment was deleted by the original commenter.
Microsoft Dr.13 Sep 12, 2018

They shouldn't have bashed the election results as much as they did in a company meeting as half of the voters voted for the guy. That being said, what the hell is your point? If a company doesn't like the results, that is their business and not yours. Stop being a loser and post something useful.

Wayfair BigZeroSix Sep 12, 2018

Do you actually think half of Google employees voted for Trump?

Wayfair BigZeroSix Sep 12, 2018

Yikes.

Flagged by the community.
Indeed OXy8st Sep 12, 2018

Classic ree

Wayfair BigZeroSix Sep 12, 2018

Is this supposed to be evidence of a bad thing?

Wayfair BigZeroSix Sep 12, 2018

What makes you think I'm a "lib"?

Facebook Instagrаm Sep 12, 2018

Good old TGIFs... I miss them. How odd it is to watch TGIF sitting in FB office! Lol

Microsoft PacDaddy Sep 12, 2018

You can't blame anyone for feeling strongly about the 2016 presidential election results. It was a bloody contentious election year, and it's puzzling that this should be that controversial. Except, as I read through this... isn't it a bit creepy that a company that wields so much control over the information we consume are not just ideologues in private, but that it's openly discussed in a business context... and so uniform in their thinking that.. it's hard to imagine that this lack of diversity is a good thing for the internet. I mean, I get that their views are totally legitimate ones to have, but their reaction completely ignores nearly half the U.S. population, and probably a significant chunk of their workforce.

Microsoft compiler Sep 12, 2018

Still much less creepy than the blind, unwavering support from Trump's base for proven lies, legal convictions and moral debasement.

Microsoft PacDaddy Sep 12, 2018

No doubt. 100% correct, I totally agree. But they don't control the primary means by which much of the Western world finds information on the Internet. Trumpers exploit (effectively "hacking" in the sense of "socially engineering") vulnerabilities in our cultural infrastructure. But let's not be confused about who runs it.

Microsoft PacDaddy Sep 12, 2018

I mean to sum up my thoughts on this... this just isn't a good sign for an open and unbiased internet that Net Neutrality principles were... in-principle, meant to defend. I'm reading remarks in the bullet points that lead me to think... these dudes are committing to throw the full weight of Google behind cultural manipulation... perhaps well-intended manipulation, but... I think it's at least a debate worth having than just assume that because we *can* turn our information infrastructure against the thinking of so many people, doesn't mean that we should.

Airbnb hudsonbaby Sep 12, 2018

watch the video, ignore the bullet points. you are missing context

Credit Karma EllisDee25 Sep 12, 2018

Ok, so they have one little thing that makes them similar to many regular people across the country. They’re still exec garbage though.

Facebook public Sep 12, 2018

In other news: water is wet.