As part of Alphabet Inc.’s ongoing cost-cutting efforts, Google is going to layoff hundreds of staff from its hardware, voice assistant, and engineering teams.
The affected employees include those working on the voice-based Google Assistant and the augmented reality hardware team. Workers from Google’s central engineering organisation are also among those facing job cuts.
The move aligns with Google’s strategy to streamline operations, optimise its workforce, and prioritise core business functions. In a statement, the company acknowledged the difficulty of the decision and expressed its commitment to supporting the affected employees during this transition.
In a statement, a Google spokesperson mentioned that during the latter half of 2023, several teams within the company changed to enhance efficiency, improve collaboration, and align resources with their primary product priorities.
The spokesperson noted that ongoing organisational changes, including role eliminations on a global scale, are still being implemented by specific teams. The impacted employees have started receiving notifications. Google has assured them the chance to apply for positions in other areas within the company.
Layoffs across the globe
Layoffs have become a constant theme across industries, with more than 260,000 tech workers losing their jobs in 2023. This widespread trend includes significant companies like Amazon, Duolingo, and Unity Software, announcing additional cuts in January 2024.
Amazon is shedding hundreds of workers from its Prime Video and MGM Studios teams to secure long-term success. Simultaneously, BlackRock is adjusting by laying off 3% of its global workforce, approximately 600 people. Nike is also contributing to the wave of layoffs, cutting an undisclosed number of employees as part of a broader initiative to reduce costs by $2 billion over the next three years.
Spotify announced plans to lay off 17% of its workforce. EY disclosed 150 job cuts in the UK. Broadcom, a semiconductor company, plans to lay off 1300 VMware employees. PwC Australia reveals significant layoffs, adding to the overall trend. KPMG reportedly contemplates a 6% reduction in deal advisory employees, showcasing the widespread impact. Additionally, Amazon is streamlining its Alexa team, emphasising that the reach of layoffs is extending even to innovative areas like artificial intelligence (AI).
Why are Layoffs Occurring?
Layoffs can occur for various reasons within the business landscape.
- Financial constraints often drive organisations to cut costs, with layoffs being a common strategy in response to low profits, business losses, or the need to satisfy investor expectations.
- Mergers and acquisitions trigger workforce adjustments as newly formed entities restructure to align with their evolving organisational goals.
- Employee redundancies result from changes in job titles, overstaffing, and automation, which renders certain positions obsolete.
- Globalisation prompts company relocations to exploit cost savings and cheap labour in different regions, leading to workforce adjustments.
- Additionally, outsourcing is a prevalent cost-cutting measure, as companies delegate tasks to external entities, often resulting in job cuts to optimise expenses.
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