Current and former Googlers are furious that Larry Page and Sergey Brin stepped back instead of fixing the culture

Troy Wolverton/Business Insider

A woman participating in the Google employee walkout in November 2018.

• Current and ex-Googlers have expressed frustration at the decision by cofounders Larry Page and Sergey Brin to step back from Alphabet, Google's parent firm.
• On Tuesday, Page and Brin announced their decision to step down as Alphabet's CEO and Alphabet's president respectively.
• Sundar Pichai will replace Page as CEO of Alphabet going forward, while also retaining his current role as CEO of Google.
• Activist employees at the company said many had hoped the cofounders would take on a more active and positive role at Google around issues such as employee organizing, the firm's treatment of alleged sexual harassers, and the firm's business with ICE.
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Googlers past and present aren't happy with Sergey Brin and Larry Page's decision to leave Alphabet.

A number prominent Googlers and ex-Googlers tweeted their frustration after Page and Brin announced their decision to step down from their respective leadership roles on Tuesday. Page has resigned as Alphabet's CEO, while Brin has stepped down as Alphabet's president.

Several current and former Googlers said employees had hoped the founders might step in and fix the company's culture. Googlers have been protesting about various issues at the company, including its lenient treatment of alleged sexual harassers, the fact it does business with ICE, and its clampdown on internal activism.

Tom Karlo, a senior product manager at Google subsidiary YouTube, tweeted: "There was a subset of employees who thought the founders might come back and set things right, but today they essentially endorsed the status quo."

Colin McMillen, a software engineer who left Google in January, tweeted "this only seems to formalize what we already knew, which is that Larry & Sergey weren't doing much."

Rebecca Rivers, another of the recently-fired foursome, tweeted that "instead of taking a stand for their employees, [Brin and Page] are abdicating their responsibilities and leaving us to suffer. The proud and brave Larry and Sergey."

The Twitter account of prominent Google activist group Google Walkout For Real Change tweeted: "[Here's] the thing: some had seriously hoped Sergey and Larry would step in and fix Google. Instead of righting the sinking ship, they jumped ship. Only workers like the #thanksgivingfour will fix Google."

Google Walkout For Real Change was behind the mass employee walkouts at Google in November 2018 over the company's handling of sexual harassment allegations. It has since broadened out to focus its activism on general issues at the company.

The "#thanksgivingfour" hashtag is a reference to the four Googlers fired by Google last month for what Google called "clear and repeated violations" of its data security policy - a decision which prompted accusations of "union busting" at the tech giant.

Ex-Googler Laurence Berland - who was one of the fired quartet - tweeted in response to the news that "they really really wanted to get the press attention off of us organizers, huh?"

For their part, Page and Brin, who cofounded Google in 1998, will both remain members of Alphabet's board of directors and retain controlling voting shares of the company.

In a jointly-written open letter on Tuesday announcing their resignation, Page and Brin wrote: "We've never been ones to hold on to management roles when we think there's a better way to run the company. And Alphabet no longer needs two CEOs and a President.

"We believe it's time to assume the role of proud parents - offering advice and love, but not daily nagging!"

Get the latest Google stock price here.

In some ways, it's helpful to people who might want to advocate for internal change. There was a subset of employees who thought the founders might come back and set things right, but today they essentially endorsed the status quo.

- Ok, Sooner. (@tomkarlo) December 4, 2019

Instead of taking a stand for their employees, they are abdicating their responsibilities and leaving us to suffer.

The proud and brave Larry and Sergey.#DontBeEvil #ConventionalCompany

- Rebecca Rivers (@Tri_Becca90) December 3, 2019

We kid, but here's the thing: some had seriously hoped Sergey and Larry would step in and fix Google. Instead of righting the sinking ship, they jumped ship. Only workers like the #thanksgivingfour will fix Google. https://t.co/HYf5pft6Gy

- Google Walkout For Real Change (@GoogleWalkout) December 3, 2019

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