When Google The trial of anti -monopoly was lost in AugustFor the third time, Kent Walker, her supreme lawyer, reminded them that they were not allowed to discuss the case with each other or anyone outside the company.
Friday afternoon, Google canceled the leadership as part of a settlement with the alphabet, a group representing some of its employees and contractors, according to an email sent by Google to the workers, which she was looking at in the New York Times. Alphabet is the parent company of Google.
The company told the employees that it “will not announce or maintain the rules or policies of Overbroad that restrict your right to comment, internally or externally”, on how the lawsuit to combat monopoly targeting the Google search engine affects the terms and conditions of its employment.
Google’s tune change was part of a settlement supervised by the National Council for Labor Relations. The Federation filed a complaint with unfair work practices to NLRB regarding Mr. Walker’s memo in August.
The agreement is another blow Google’s companies policies are designed to maintain confidentialityAnd that was examined amid the research case submitted by the Ministry of Justice. It also undermines the Google strategy to maintain its tinnitus during the lawsuit – that employees ignore the battle to fight monopoly and survival focusing on their work.
Mr. Walker, President of Google for World Affairs, told the employees first not to discuss the case when it was presented in October 2020, according to an email that the Times saw.
“It is important not to pay attention to this process, including not speculating on legal issues internally or externally,” instead he directed employees to focus on building great products and services to help people.
Repeat the call in September 2023, When the case went to trialAnd again in August, when Google lost that experience. NLRB settlement is only related to the final observation.
Two months later, Lee Ann Malholland, Google’s Vice -President of Google, tried to clarify that Mr. Walker’s instructions indicate to speak on behalf of Google to the public.
“This was the basis of Kent’s previous request to refrain from commenting on” the case.
“The company does not agree to” its reasonable request not to comment on a legal case hanging on behalf of Google without approval. “
She added: “To avoid long claims, we agreed to remind employees that they have the right to talk about their work, as they were always free to do it and do it regularly.”
the The Ministry of Justice called for the disintegration of GoogleIncluding the delivery of Chrome, the famous web browser, among other treatments that aim to restore competition in the research. Amit will decide B. Mihata, a federal judge, what are the treatments that you will impose by August.
Stephen McMuerotry, chief software engineer in Google Search and a member of the Federation, said it was difficult to control all legal intrigues.
“Among the employees in general, there is a fear of instability that separation from our work, working conditions, compensation, and all kinds of things can provide,” said Mr. McMueritry.
Like other large technology companies, Google created a pattern of secrecy in its culture and corporate communications. After Microsoft’s legal defense was attached to the destruction of emails during it Anti -monopoly trial a quarter of a century agoGoogle tried to learn from the company’s example by informing employees by not saying anything that might make the company’s behavior anti -competition.
Google has also routinely discussed sensitive business issues in instant messages that were automatically deleted, although the company said it had handed over many chats to the Ministry of Justice.
