Google-O-Meter Signals Doom

Forget about the OECD report saying we're in for the worst recession since the early 1980s.

The true sign of how bad it's going to get comes from Google, which is throwing its contract workers to the wolves.

The Internet search giant and ultimate barometer of consumer behavior says it will significantly reduce the number of its roughly 10,000 contractors in anticipation of a worsening economy.

It may be the right thing to do from a fiduciary perspective, but the folks at Google don't seem to realize how damaging it is to the psyche of consumers and investors alike to see the ultimate growth machine scaling back.

Now we're doomed. The only ray of hope is that Google isn't planning to cut its internal staff. So my reading of the Google-O-Meter is that a bad recession is coming, but maybe it won't last too long.

If Google starts laying off its own people, then all bets are off.