Google offers unmatched death benefits to support employees’ families
TOI World Desk | TIMESOFINDIA.COM | Jul 31, 2025, 22:41 IST
( Image credit : ANI )
Guggal offers a generous death benefit. It pays 50% salary to the spouse for ten years. This policy gained attention after Anjela Lin's death. She was a software engineer at Guggal. Anjela died in a hiking accident. Guggal reaffirmed its commitment to support employees' families. The company also provides equity compensation. It gives $1,000 per month to each child.
Google, known for its employee-friendly policies, offers one of the most generous death benefit packages in Silicon Valley—paying 50% of a deceased employee’s salary to their surviving spouse for a full decade. What sets this policy apart is its immediate applicability. Regardless of how long someone has worked at the company, these benefits begin on the very first day of employment.
Originally reported by Fortune in 2012, the policy gained renewed public attention following the tragic death of Angela Lin, a 29-year-old software engineer at Google. Lin died on July 19 during a hike in Yosemite National Park when a falling tree branch struck her.
According to reports, Lin was hiking with her boyfriend and two close friends when they heard a loud crack. Small branches began to fall, followed by a large one that hit Lin. Her boyfriend, David Hua, immediately called emergency services and performed CPR. Despite his efforts and those of first responders, Lin was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities later confirmed that the impact was fatal and instantaneous.
Lin had built a promising career in technology over six years, first at Salesforce and more recently at Google. A graduate with a Master of Science degree from the University of Texas at Austin, she was living and working in the San Francisco Bay Area and was regarded as a rising talent in the field.
In the wake of her death, Google reaffirmed its commitment to supporting employees' families through its death benefit policy. In addition to the salary continuation, the company also provides equity compensation to the spouse of the deceased and $1,000 per month to each child until the age of 19. These benefits are extended to all families, including same-sex couples—a stance Google publicly adopted over a decade ago.
A Google spokesperson acknowledged Lin’s passing, saying, “We lost a loved and respected member of our team. We’re very saddened by this tragedy, and our hearts are with their family and loved ones.”
This policy, while quietly embedded in the company’s broader benefits structure, reflects Google’s long-standing belief in supporting its employees beyond the workplace and even beyond life itself. At a time when workplace benefits often feel transactional, Google’s approach offers a powerful reminder of the human element behind every job title and payroll number.
Originally reported by Fortune in 2012, the policy gained renewed public attention following the tragic death of Angela Lin, a 29-year-old software engineer at Google. Lin died on July 19 during a hike in Yosemite National Park when a falling tree branch struck her.
According to reports, Lin was hiking with her boyfriend and two close friends when they heard a loud crack. Small branches began to fall, followed by a large one that hit Lin. Her boyfriend, David Hua, immediately called emergency services and performed CPR. Despite his efforts and those of first responders, Lin was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities later confirmed that the impact was fatal and instantaneous.
Lin had built a promising career in technology over six years, first at Salesforce and more recently at Google. A graduate with a Master of Science degree from the University of Texas at Austin, she was living and working in the San Francisco Bay Area and was regarded as a rising talent in the field.
In the wake of her death, Google reaffirmed its commitment to supporting employees' families through its death benefit policy. In addition to the salary continuation, the company also provides equity compensation to the spouse of the deceased and $1,000 per month to each child until the age of 19. These benefits are extended to all families, including same-sex couples—a stance Google publicly adopted over a decade ago.
A Google spokesperson acknowledged Lin’s passing, saying, “We lost a loved and respected member of our team. We’re very saddened by this tragedy, and our hearts are with their family and loved ones.”
This policy, while quietly embedded in the company’s broader benefits structure, reflects Google’s long-standing belief in supporting its employees beyond the workplace and even beyond life itself. At a time when workplace benefits often feel transactional, Google’s approach offers a powerful reminder of the human element behind every job title and payroll number.