San Francisco — Google delivered a sharp message to staff travelling overseas who may be affected by a new executive order on immigration from President Donald Trump: "Get back to the US now." Google CEO Sundar Pichai slammed Trump’s move in a note to employees on Friday, telling them that more than 100 company staff were affected by the order. "It’s painful to see the personal cost of this executive order on our colleagues," Pichai wrote in the memo, a copy of which was obtained by Bloomberg News. "We’ve always made our view on immigration issues known publicly and will continue to do so." The comments underscore a growing rift between the Trump administration and several large US technology companies that include many immigrants in their ranks and have lobbied for fewer immigration restrictions. Pichai’s note echoed similar statements from technology peers voicing concerns about the harm such policies could do to their businesses. Trump signed an executive order on Friday, prohibi...

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