Google sends hundreds of staffers looking for jobs in the tight tech market.
Google has recently implemented significant workforce changes, primarily affecting divisions such as core engineering, hardware (responsible for Pixel and Fitbit devices), and the team behind Google Assistant. Initial reports from The New York Times and Semafor have now been officially confirmed by Google.
The core engineering team experienced substantial downsizing, with “several hundred” employees receiving notices and losing system access, according to The New York Times. Simultaneously, Google’s devices and services team, responsible for designing smartphones, smartwatches, and fitness trackers, underwent restructuring on Monday, resulting in the elimination of hundreds of positions, as reported by 9to5Google.
The restructuring also impacted Google Assistant, the company’s competitor to Apple’s Siri and Amazon Alexa. Layoffs in this division were described as part of a broader strategy to integrate newer artificial intelligence technology into the service.
In response to the layoffs, a Google spokesperson informed Forbes that these changes are part of organizational shifts aimed at enhancing efficiency, fostering better collaboration, and aligning resources with the company’s core product priorities. The spokesperson underscored Google’s commitment to supporting affected employees in finding new roles within the company or elsewhere.
This move follows Google’s earlier layoffs at the beginning of 2023, where approximately 12,000 employees, constituting around six percent of the workforce, were let go. The decision, made amid concerns of a global economic downturn following a Covid-19 induced hiring boom, drew criticism from CEO Sundar Pichai, who acknowledged in an internal meeting in December that the layoffs could have been handled more effectively.
In the broader context of the tech industry, Google’s workforce reductions align with similar actions taken by companies like Amazon, Twitch, and Unity, indicating a broader trend of downsizing within the sector.
