How Google Spent 15 Years Creating a Culture of Concealment

Google’s internal memo from late 2008 emphasized the importance of discretion in employee communications due to ongoing antitrust scrutiny, urging workers to communicate cautiously.

In the memo, Google executives warned employees to refrain from speculation and sarcasm, advising them to 'think twice' before discussing sensitive topics to protect against legal repercussions.

Google's transformation included changing its instant messaging settings to 'off the record' to prevent inadvertent disclosures, reflecting a culture of minimizing internal communications.

Creating a culture of defensiveness, Google used legal privilege and technological limitations to navigate scrutiny, demonstrating a concerted effort to control internal discourse.

Read at San Jose Inside