Google layoffs: Hundreds of employees face job cuts

Google laid off hundreds of employees in its latest round of layoffs yesterday to cut costs.

Looking forward, Google intends to focus on artificial intelligence (AI) and has cut tech jobs, in line with a rising number of layoffs across the industry. The key areas experiencing layoffs at the search giant include its core engineering division, those working on the voice-powered Google Assistant, and the hardware division responsible for products like the Pixel phone, Fitbit watches and Nest thermostat, reports the New York Times.

Several hundred people across those three areas were notified their roles had been terminated on Wednesday, January 10, according to sources from within Google.

“We’ve had to make some difficult decisions about the ongoing employment of some Google employees and we regret to inform you that your position is being eliminated,” the company told employees.

In a statement to the NY Times, the trillion-dollar firm continued: “We’re responsibly investing in our company’s biggest priorities and the significant opportunities ahead. Some teams are continuing to make these kinds of organizational changes, which include some role eliminations globally.”

Layoffs across the tech industry

Google is not alone in implementing layoffs, with other huge tech organizations like X, Meta, and Amazon all laying off huge numbers of employees last year, to name a few. Even though 2024 has only just begun, Amazon has already cut hundreds of jobs this year, targeting its streaming service, Twitch.

Video game software company Unity has also announced plans to eliminate 1,800 roles this year, accounting for 25% of its workforce.

Google carved off 6% of its workforce around this time last year, a group that numbered 12,000 people. This was the largest layoff the company has ever done, but it was not the last.

The Alphabet Workers Union, which represents nearly 1,500 workers at Google’s parent company, Alphabet, described the layoffs as “needless.”

“Our members and teammates work hard every day to build great products for our users, and the company cannot continue to fire our co-workers while making billions every quarter,” the group said in a post on X.

Featured image: Photo by PhotoMIX; Dall-E