Google Employees Feel Pressure to Embrace AI or Risk Falling Behind

At Google, the expectation to use AI in everyday work has become a defining feature of the company culture, with employees feeling increasing pressure to adopt AI tools to stay competitive. This shift was underscored by CEO Sundar Pichai during the company’s annual I/O conference in May, where he emphasized that leveraging AI is essential for Google to maintain its edge in the rapidly evolving tech landscape. In recent months, internal initiatives have intensified. In June, engineering vice president Megan Kacholia sent an email to software engineers urging them to integrate AI into their coding processes. The message included updated role profiles that now explicitly mention AI proficiency as part of job responsibilities. These changes reflect a broader strategy to embed AI use across teams, not just in product development but in daily workflows. During a company-wide all-hands meeting in July, Pichai reiterated the message: Google must use AI to keep pace with rivals like OpenAI, Microsoft, and Anthropic. Employees reported that the core directive was clear—adopt AI tools to drive productivity or risk falling behind. To support this transition, Google has rolled out internal training programs and tools designed to encourage AI adoption. Engineers are encouraged to use Cider, an internal development platform with AI-powered coding agents, including “Gemini for Google,” a model trained on internal technical data. Employees are also expected to “dogfood” new AI tools—testing them internally before public release—aligning with Google’s culture of iterative improvement. New guidelines issued by Kacholia stress that only internal AI models should be used for coding, and third-party tools require approval. Employees are reminded that AI-generated code still counts as their work and must meet Google’s quality and security standards. The push extends beyond engineering. Sales and legal teams have been asked to incorporate AI tools like NotebookLM, which helps synthesize information from multiple documents, and to develop custom AI “Gems” tailored to their specific roles. Managers are now evaluating how employees use AI in their work, with some noting that demonstrating AI proficiency can enhance performance reviews. Despite the company’s official stance that AI use isn’t formally part of performance evaluations, employees say the message is clear: being AI-savvy is a career advantage. One sales employee noted that while hitting targets remains key, using AI to build reusable workflows is increasingly rewarded. Google has also made significant moves to strengthen its AI capabilities, including a $2.4 billion acquihire of key talent from the AI coding startup Windsurf, including CEO Varun Mohan. This effort is part of a broader push in “agentic coding,” where AI systems autonomously plan and execute complex tasks. While many employees accept the shift as inevitable, some have expressed mixed feelings. On internal forums like MemeGen, employees have shared humorous critiques—such as one post quipping that if AI truly improved productivity, it wouldn’t need to be listed in job descriptions. Others acknowledged the pressure, with one engineer saying, “Some are really excited. Others are doing it grudgingly because they don’t want to be left behind.” The trend reflects a larger industry shift: as AI becomes central to innovation, companies are not only building smarter tools but also reshaping workplace culture to ensure employees can keep up.