Some time in early 2006, I did a phone interview for a position at Google. It was a pretty standard level job, something to do with AdSense/Adwords. At the time, I had just wrapped up my first start-up and was in need of a job. The interview was relatively short and I got the impression that I just wasn't Google material. Maybe I didn't pass the GPA threshold (I was told 3.5 and under need not apply) or maybe I just didn't leave a good impression with the interviewer - who knows. Needless to say, I did not get a follow-up.
Fast forward to today and the continued free fall of Google and others in the space...
As you can see, after its $20+ drop in the regular session, Google is down almost another $7 in after hours trading. Though still a powerhouse in search and with rock solid financials, the underlying issue will be how most of the employees who came on in that early 2006 time-frame will have options that are under water. Let's not even get into the folks who joined around late 2007 when they were trading at around $700. As a significant portion of their compensation packages go poof, these talented employees will start looking elsewhere. Also, recruiting new talent will become that much harder when a big part of your compensation is getting less and less valuable. And remember all those free meals? Looks like those are getting chopped, too. C'est la vie.