Conservatives slam leaked video showing Google executives lamenting Trump's victory
A leaked video has Google in hot water with supporters of President Trump.
Some conservatives are calling for Congress to investigate the search giant after a video from 2016 showed several of the company's top executives reacting negatively to Trump's election win.
The hour-long video, published by Breitbart on Wednesday, is taken from an all-hands company meeting held in November 2016. In it, Google co-founder Sergey Brin says the election was "deeply offensive" and that "most people" at Google are upset by it, while CEO Sundar Pichai says the election caused "a lot of fear" inside the company. CFO Ruth Porat also quotes Hillary Clinton's concession speech in encouraging employees to fight for their values, Variety reports.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Conservatives seized on the video as evidence of liberal bias at the tech company, with Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale tweeting that Google must "explain why this isn't a threat to the Republic," adding that there should be Congressional hearings. Donald Trump Jr. retweeted this sentiment, also writing in his own tweet that Google controls most of the web's search traffic and that "if this isn't a Monopoly I don't know what is."
The video certainly plays into an ongoing narrative for Trump. Late last month, the president alleged that the lack of good news about him at the top of the search engine's results was "rigged." But as pointed out by Gizmodo, the video doesn't offer any evidence that the personal views of Google's higher-ups manifest themselves in search results. In the meeting, Google employees were also encouraged to be respectful of different political points of view and make conservatives at the company feel comfortable, as The Washington Post reports.
In a statement, Google told Breitbart that its employees can always voice personal and political opinions at meetings and that nothing in the video suggests "any political bias ever influences the way we build or operate our products."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
How the UK's electric car plans took a wrong turn
The Explainer Car manufacturers are struggling to meet 'stringent' targets for electric vehicle sales
By Abby Wilson Published
-
Irish election: what's at stake?
Today's Big Question Weakened centrist coalition of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil parties may have to share power with conservative independents
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
Best UK literary festivals of 2025
The Week Recommends From Hay and Cheltenham to Henley and Oxford, here are some of the year's top events for book lovers
By Tess Foley-Cox Published
-
US charges Indian tycoon with bribery, fraud
Speed Read Indian billionaire Gautam Adani has been indicted by US prosecutors for his role in a $265 million scheme to secure solar energy deals
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Boeing machinists approve contract, end strike
Speed Read The company's largest union approved the new contract offer, ending a seven-week strike
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US economy still strong in final preelection report
Speed Read It grew at a solid 2.8% annual rate from July through September
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Boeing machinists reject deal, continue strike
Speed Read The rejection came the same day Boeing reported a $6.2 billion quarterly loss
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Ports reopen after dockworkers halt strike
Speed Read The 36 ports that closed this week, from Maine to Texas, will start reopening today
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Empty-nest boomers aren't selling their big homes
Speed Read Most Americans 60 and older do not intend to move, according to a recent survey
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Brazil accuses Musk of 'disinformation campaign'
Speed Read A Brazilian Supreme Court judge has opened an inquiry into Elon Musk and X
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Disney board fends off Peltz infiltration bid
Speed Read Disney CEO Bob Iger has defeated activist investor Nelson Peltz in a contentious proxy battle
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published