Tech Companies 'Shouldn't Get Carried Away' With Combating Pandemics

Sundar Pichai
CEO of Alphabet Inc. and its subsidiary Google LLC

Businesses and professionals work in their respective fields, based on their knowledge, experience, credibility and expertise.

Tech companies conduct businesses in the tech industry.

With the modern world relying on tech and the internet more than ever, they have taken a huge role in helping develop the ecosystem people in the world are living in.

But tech companies must not go beyond what they're good at, and must leave the rest to those that are more competent in their fields.

Sundar Pichai is the CEO of both Alphabet and Google. He has discussed how the two companies are trying to tackle the novel 'COVID-19' coronavirus pandemic. But the CEO said tech companies shouldn't "get carried away" with taking over the role from governments and public-health organizations.

Speaking to TIME, Pichai offered his own perspective on the crisis, and how the world might look once the pandemic is over.

Sundar Pichai
"I think technology and technology companies can play a significant role [in combatting COVID-19], and that's the role we're looking to play."

"But I wouldn't get carried away with it. The roles are very clear. It's up to governments and public-health organizations [to lead the response to this crisis]."

And when dealing with how working from home may change the way people work in the future, Pichai said that:

"I think the reason we are able to work from home effectively is because we've done it face to face before."

"We built a foundation. And we need that foundation on a continual basis. I think it's part of human nature. Having said that, can we do things more flexibly? Absolutely. When I look at the extent to which people commute and the toll it takes on their families and so on and so forth, I think we can come up with better solutions."

The coronavirus pandemic has forced many people to stay at home and work from home. Many governments around the world apply strict rule to make people practice social and physical distancing to help stop the virus' spread.

With more people relying on technology and the internet for work, play, communicate and get information, many of them have turned to Google (and Alphabet), as well as YouTube to get help with the COVID-19.

For many reasons, Google is one of the largest tech companies in the world. With its numerous products, Google has long provided users with the tools and apps needed in various conditions, even in situations like the coronavirus pandemic.

To deal with what the World Health Organization (WHO) calls an "infodemic", which is a deluge of misinformation, spreading mostly online, that competes with real news, Pichai said that people need to always support and rely on trustworthy institutions and sources.

"In some ways, that’s easier right now because there is a shared sense of what is objectively right. And you can look to scientists, you can look to health authorities, and that helps you converge on facts," he said.

"Google was founded right before the dotcom crash and built in a moment of severe, I would say, scarcity. That inspired us to solve problems with constraints. And be it distance learning, delivery—I think this moment will make people think creatively and think ahead," said Pichai.

"I think large companies have seen a lot of growth over the past few years. So it’s a natural moment in time for that to be scrutinized. What it means to me is we, as a company, have to make sure we are doing good in society"