Google’s 2024 began with a high note when its April earnings report triggered the largest rally in Alphabet shares since 2015, propelling the company’s market capitalization past $2 trillion for the first time. The results signaled to Wall Street that Google was holding its ground in the competitive AI space.

However, inside the company, a different narrative unfolded. During an all-hands meeting following the earnings announcement, a top-rated employee comment highlighted concerns about morale, trust, and cohesion within Google’s workforce. “We’ve noticed a significant decline in morale, increased distrust, and a disconnect between leadership and the workforce,” the comment read. Another highly ranked question pointed to dissatisfaction with compensation, despite the company’s stellar performance.

These sentiments reflected broader challenges for CEO Sundar Pichai, who faced growing scrutiny from employees amid product missteps, layoffs, and questions about his vision for the company.

Despite internal tensions, Pichai guided Google through a year of solid financial growth. The company saw strong revenue in key segments, including search advertising and cloud services. It also advanced its AI strategy, overcoming early product setbacks that included some high-profile embarrassments. By the end of 2024, Google’s stock had risen over 40%, outperforming the S&P 500 but lagging behind competitors like Meta and Amazon.

Internal shake-ups, including layoffs and reorganizations, further fueled unease among employees. Conversations with staff, recordings, and internal correspondence revealed a vocal workforce questioning the company’s direction and expressing concerns about leadership’s ability to maintain Google’s culture of innovation and trust.

As Google continues to evolve in the face of intense market competition and workforce expectations, Pichai remains at the center of navigating the delicate balance between meeting financial goals and addressing employee concerns.

The U.K. has officially enacted its landmark Online Safety Act, ushering in stringent regulations to combat harmful content online and hold tech giants like Meta, Google, and TikTok accountable. The new rules, effective Monday, aim to tackle illegal content, including terrorism, hate speech, fraud, and child sexual abuse, with oversight by the British media and telecommunications regulator, Ofcom.

Ofcom has issued its initial codes of practice and guidance, detailing the steps platforms must take to comply with the law. The act imposes “duties of care” on tech firms, requiring them to prevent harmful content from spreading on their platforms. Companies have until March 16, 2025, to complete risk assessments of illegal harms and implement measures such as enhanced moderation tools, easier reporting systems, and in-built safety features.

Ofcom Chief Executive Melanie Dawes emphasized the regulator’s commitment to enforcing the new standards. “We’ll be watching the industry closely to ensure firms match up to the strict safety standards set for them under our first codes and guidance, with further requirements to follow swiftly in the first half of next year,” she said in a statement.

The Online Safety Act, which passed in October 2023, includes severe penalties for non-compliance. Ofcom can impose fines of up to 10% of a company’s global annual revenue. For repeated violations, senior managers may face imprisonment, and the regulator has the authority to block access to services in the U.K. or restrict platforms’ payment and advertising capabilities.

TikTok’s efforts to overturn a law that could force its ban or sale in the United States by early 2025 have hit a major roadblock, with a federal appeals court rejecting its argument that the legislation violates free speech rights.

The controversial law, supported by bipartisan efforts in Congress and successive administrations, stems from concerns about TikTok’s alleged ties to the Chinese government. Both TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, have consistently denied these accusations.

The appeals court upheld the legislation, stating it was designed to address “a well-substantiated national security threat posed by the PRC (People’s Republic of China)” and targeted foreign adversary influence.

TikTok, however, remains steadfast in its defense, announcing plans to escalate the case to the US Supreme Court.

“The Supreme Court has an established historical record of protecting Americans’ right to free speech, and we expect they will do just that on this important constitutional issue,” a TikTok spokesperson said in a statement.

The company also criticized the law, calling it based on “inaccurate, flawed, and hypothetical information” and emphasizing that a ban would amount to censorship of its 170 million US users.

The political landscape surrounding TikTok’s future could shift with Donald Trump’s return to the presidency. During his 2024 campaign, Trump indicated that, unlike his earlier efforts to ban the app, he would not enforce the impending legislation.