But Google employees’ losses have been investors’ gains. 

Google’s year of efficiency has been a boon for its stock.

Shares of Alphabet, Google’s parent company, are up more than 55% this year. That’s far better than the S&P 500 — up roughly 24% — and on par with how fellow Big Tech companies Apple and Microsoft have fared.

Focusing on the bottom line might be a tough pill to swallow for some Googlers, but it’s the natural progression for a company. Microsoft, for example, might not be some engineers’ dream job, but it’s still managed to stay ahead of the curve in many ways.

Meanwhile, the buzzy companies that tout their innovative ways aren’t always a shining example of stability, as demonstrated by OpenAI’s shocking ouster-turned-reversal.