Group Hug: Google Employees Become Emotional Following Trump Election

Footage from a leaked Google “TGIF” meeting shows Google executives and employees becoming visibly upset following the election of President Trump.

Recently leaked footage from a Google “TGIF” meeting shows executives and employees from the Silicon Valley tech firm becoming visibly upset and dismayed at the election of President Trump. While Google co-founder Sergey Brin and Google CEO Sundar Pichai discussed the election of Trump in disappointed tones, it wasn’t until Google CFO Ruth Porat began to speak that the entire conversation took a more openly emotional turn.

Porat, who states that she has long been a vocal supporter of Hillary Clinton, tells a story about how on the night of the election she began to become worried that Clinton wouldn’t win. As it became obvious that President Trump was going to win the election she texted one of her friends that worked on the Clinton campaign asking how they were doing, the friend replied: “People are leaving, staff is crying, we’re gonna lose.”

Porat, the CFO of one of the largest tech companies in the world, states that the exchange was the first moment that she realized that “we were going to lose,” and begins to become emotional, appearing to choke back tears. Porat then states that Google will “use the great strength and resources and reach we have to continue to advance really important values,” before stating that “we all need a hug,” and instructing the audience to hug someone near them.

Earlier in the discussion, Google VP for Global Affairs Kent Walker argued President Trump’s supporters and those involved in other populist movements are motivated by “fear, xenophobia, hatred, and a desire for answers that may or may not be there.” Walker stated later in the discussion that Google should fight to ensure the populist movement – not just in the U.S. but around the world – is merely a “blip” and a “hiccup” in a historical arc that “bends toward progress.”

The full hour longer Google TGIF video can be watched here.