Sundar Pichai's Pre-Result Memo To Google Employees On Poll Day

Ahead of the US Election Day, Google CEO Sundar Pichai sent a company-wide memo reaffirming Google's commitment to providing trustworthy information. The tech giant, on numerous occasions, has faced accusations of bias from figures such as former US President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Google has consistently denied these claims. Mr Pichai, however, reassured employees of their ongoing efforts to uphold Google's reputation as a neutral and reliable source.

“Let's remember the role we play at work, through the products we build and as a business: to be a trusted source of information to people of every background and belief. We will and must maintain that,” Mr Pichai said in the memo obtained by the Washington Post.

As Americans prepared to head to the polls, Mr Pichai said all employees should be “proud” of the work being done by Google and YouTube teams to ensure voters receive accurate and reliable information. The memo also acknowledged the company's efforts to keep campaigns secure, provide voters with accurate details on where and how to vote, and deliver advertising solutions for political campaigns.

In his memo, Mr Pichai also recognised the global scope of these efforts, noting that elections in various countries such as France, India, the UK, and Mexico had been supported by Google in 2024, with over a billion people participating in elections this year alone.

“Thanks to everyone working around the clock on these efforts throughout the campaign season and as votes are tallied,” Mr Pichai added.

Looking ahead, Mr Pichai urged employees to continue adhering to Google's Community Guidelines and Personal Political Activity Policy, especially as the election's outcome will spark discussion all over. He stressed that the company's mission to organise and make the world's information universally accessible and useful would continue beyond Election Day.

“Beyond election day, our work to organise the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful will continue,” he said. “Our company is at its best when we're focused on that.”

Earlier, Donald Trump claimed that Sundar Pichai called him to compliment his visit to McDonald's. Mr Trump said that Mr Pichai told him the visit was “one of the biggest things we've ever had on Google.” Trump had visited the fast-food chain in Pennsylvania as a political move, targeting Vice President Kamala Harris, who had previously discussed her time working at McDonald's. 

As of the latest update, the US presidential race remains too close to call. Republican Donald Trump has secured 267 electoral votes, leading over his Democratic counterpart Kamala Harris, who trails with 224 votes. A total of 270 electoral votes are needed to win.