Walmart Is Buying Google
In a press release today, Walmart announced that they are acquiring the assets of Google. The announcement says “We are purchasing Google in order to protect the reputation of Walmart. Google operations will remain as they are, with the exception of a few small changes.”
Minor Changes in Search
What are those changes? The announcement continues “We have been concerned for some time about the negative publicity about Walmart’s wages and working conditions, and how this negative information is spread through the Internet, particularly by Google searches. Our Board decided that decisive action is needed to defend our reputation. As soon as the acquisition closes, negative information about Walmart will no longer appear in Google search results. Our Board decided that this approach to dealing with the reputation issue was more economical than giving a raise and providing health insurance and reasonable working conditions to our 2.2 million employees.”
Food Service in Google Offices
The announcement stated that free meals in Google cafeterias will continue as a fringe benefit for full-time Google employees; part-time employees will need to pay for meals. Because of corporate commitments, catering for all food in Google operations will be provided by McDonalds, starting immediately after the acquisition. The significant savings that will result from this change are expected to improve Google’s bottom line.
Full and Part Time
Walmart has traditionally relied on part-time workers to provide up to 40% of its labor in stores. Because part-timers do not get benefits, this reduces labor costs. Post-acquisition, Google will be given a mandatory goal to have 40% part-time employees within six months. This will be achieved either by converting present full-time employees, or by replacing present full-time employees with part-time new hires. The elimination of all benefits for 40% of Google’s payroll will also produce significant enhancement of Google profitability.
