Google April Fools’ Day Joke Backfires; Costs Many Their Jobs

Google's April Fools' Day Gmail mic drop joke lasted only for 12 hours after many people complained that it cost them their jobs. The enraged online users were clearly affected by Google's e-mail joke and they didn't waste any second in berating the giant search engine on social media. Was it that bad?

According to Business Insider, the mechanics of Google's April Fools' Day joke was kind of simple. It added a "Mic drop" button next to the "Reply" button on Gmail. When you click the "Mic drop" button, it will do three things. First, it will reply to the e-mail. Second, it will archive it. Lastly, which is by far the feature that enraged many Gmail users, was that it will add a "Despicable Me" minion GIF who is seen dropping a mic.

Google initially thought it was kind of funny, but the ramifications were felt by many Gmail users who accidentally clicked on the button. Take a look at what could possibly happen if this e-mail is sent by a funeral company:

WHAT A HARMLESS APRIL FOOL'S JOKE, WHAT COULD GO WRONG pic.twitter.com/Maw8a6VUSA

— Andy Baio (@waxpancake) April 1, 2016

As a family member of the deceased, Google won't blame you if you feel offended, right? How about employees who accidentally pressed the drop mic button when they're supposed to send an official e-mail?

The Guardian also reported another instance where the Gmail mic drop cost him his job. Think about this, a boss requested his employee to edit an article. When the poor employee sent the edited article back to his boss, voila, there goes the minion dropping the mic for having edited the article. Waking up to an angry voicemail certainly doesn't make Google's April Fools' Day that hilarious.

Another Gmail user, Abdus Salam, said, "This mic drop is perhaps the most stupid thing you could possibly come up with. I have been interviewing with this company for 3 months now and mistakenly sent the e-mail directly to guess who? The HR! Why would you do that? I so want this job; was due to start on Monday!"

While Google has already removed the Gmail mic drop feature, many people were sent reeling by the company's April Fools' Day joke. So, was it really that bad? What's your take on the search engine giant's 2016 April Fools' treat?