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Google was one of many companies attempting to obtain some easy marketing by way of staging an April Fools Day “prank,” but unfortunately for Gmail users it had some pretty negative ramifications.
Google decided to add a “drop the mic” button next to the send button on April 1st, which in the company’s own words ensured that “everyone will get your message, but that’s the last you’ll ever hear about it.” Pressing this button even attached a Minion GIF to the sender’s email for added emphasis.
However, it quickly became apparent that the placement of the drop the mic button had led to a number of email chains mistakenly being silenced, leading to some unfortunate consequences for users of the email service.
Complaints swiftly littered Google’s forums, with one user writing: “I just sent off an email with my resume to the first person who wanted to interview me in months. I clicked the wrong button and sent it with the mic drop. Well, I guess I’m not getting that job. Words cannot describe how pissed off I am right now. I’m actually shaking. One click, ONE CLICK and I lost the job. Goddamnit. Not funny, Google. I’m going to go cry now.”
Another user had a similar experience, writing:”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 email directly to guess who? The HR! Why would you do that? I so want this job; was due to start on Monday!”
Google has now removed the option from emails, apologizing for its inclusion in a blog post. The statement from the company reads: “Well, it looks like we pranked ourselves this year. Due to a bug, the Mic Drop feature inadvertently caused more headaches than laughs. We’re truly sorry. The feature has been turned off. If you are still seeing it, please reload your Gmail page.”
