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[You Play Too Much] Google's April Fool’s Day Prank Was an Epic Fail

A Gmail prank gone wrong left some without jobs.

April 1 is no doubt an exciting time of year. Pranks occur in both the world and online that force everyone to not believe what they see or what they read.

Usually, websites pour out a heap of false articles to fool the masses. However, this year, Google decided to step up its game.

The company created a new button on Gmail called the Mic Drop. Just like an actual mic drop, the button allowed users to respond to an email with an attached GIF of of one of the Minions dropping a mic and then make it impossible for anyone to respond to them.

Regarding the use of the button, Google said that if you hit “Send + Mic Drop, everyone will get your message, but that’s the last you’ll hear about it. Even if folks try to respond, you won’t see it.”

Although this may seem like a fun idea to remove yourself from a dreaded work email chain, many people unknowingly hit the button, causing them to inappropriately respond to employers or family members. 

Several users took to Twitter to complain about the button and Google swiftly decided to delete the function. 

However, many are still dealing with the consequences of the prank. Writer Allan Pashby commented, “thanks to Mic Drop, I just lost my job… I am a writer and had a deadline to meet. I sent my articles to my boss and never heard back from her. I inadvertently sent the email using the 'Mic Drop' send button… My boss took offense to the Mic Drop animation and assumed that I didn’t reply to her because I thought her input was petty.”

Dang Google! Pranks are supposed to be fun for everyone, not send someone to the unemployment line. 

(Photo: Anthony Harvey/Getty Images)

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