Last week, Google announced a new round of layoffs across its AI and hardware divisions. The tech giant confirmed it is eliminating ‘a few hundred’ job roles across departments. However, the total layoffs at Google are reported to be over a hundred, and thousands of Googlers are said to be part of these recent job cuts.
A recent report from The Verge suggests that, in addition to the Google hardware team responsible for Pixel, Nest, and Fitbit products, Google has implemented similar workforce reduction measures as part of a restructuring across Google’s core engineering and Google Assistant teams. The company confirmed to the publication that these restructuring measures included cutting “a few hundred” jobs at each affected team, with approximately 1,000 employees laid off that day alone.
In a statement, Google spokesperson Courtenay Mencini said, “Many of our teams have recently implemented changes to improve efficiency and collaboration.” However, the restructuring may not be finished. Mencini indicated the possibility of further “organizational changes, including some role eliminations globally” in some unspecified teams.
Google’s recent restructuring efforts, likely motivated by the increasingly competitive landscape in artificial intelligence, raise the possibility of further workforce cuts across several divisions in the coming weeks. Microsoft and OpenAI’s strong AI offerings are undoubtedly putting pressure on Google’s core search business, leading to internal adjustments. While the extent of these potential job cuts remains unknown, Google’s strategic planning amid this challenging market landscape suggests that they are not out of the plan.
Google is raising concerns among its employees over their job security after it revealed massive layoffs in January 2023, affecting 6 percent of its 12,000-strong global workforce. The tech giant also made small rounds of layoffs throughout the year as part of its restructuring strategy. It’s worth noting that Google’s parent company Alphabet had 182,381 employees as of September 30, 2023, so about a thousand layoffs would be only half a percent of the total workforce.
Meanwhile, the fear of layoffs isn’t just haunting Google employees; It’s spreading in Silicon Valley. With Amazon, Meta and other tech giants joining Google in announcing a new round of job cuts, it echoes the wave of mass layoffs that rocked the industry last January.
Amazon recently announced another round of layoffs, affecting ‘several hundred’ employees across its Prime Video and MGM studios divisions. The company has reportedly directed managers to further evaluate employee performance, suggesting the possibility of additional job cuts based on performance reviews. Additionally, Amazon’s subsidiary video streaming platform, Twitch, has revealed layoffs affecting approximately 35 percent of its workforce as part of restructuring and cost-cutting measures.
Meta also recently underwent a restructuring, affecting 60 employees across the organization, primarily in technical program manager (TPM) roles. Sources cited by Business Insider claim that this move, executed within the current week, signals the gradual unwinding of the TPM position. Affected employees now face a difficult choice: reapply for program manager roles and go through a fresh interview process or face employment termination in March.
