"By David Faber, CNBC Reporter and Anchor | 04 Nov 2008 | 03:31 PM

Google, one of the nation's great growth engines for employment, has essentially stopped hiring for the last month, according to several executives at the company.

A spokesperson at the company says there has been no freeze on hiring, but several executives I have spoken with who have hiring responsiblity said it was made clear to them one month ago they were to make no new hires, including at the secretarial level and they were directed to fill all vacancies with internal candidates. In effect, they term it an unofficial hiring freeze.
...."

Link:
http://www.cnbc.com/id/27539152

Maybe this was only the beginning:
http://blogoscoped.com/forum/143846.html

["Google: Hiring slowdown, but no freeze"]
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10082404-93.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20

Stupid. You should keep hiring and investing, even when in crisis. That's the Apple Business Model. Counter-cyclical hires are often a way to stay healthy, by staying at the top of innovation, which in turn ensures you don't suffer that much from crisis