Google sends hundreds of employees looking for jobs in tight tech market

Google has begun major layoffs, mainly affecting departments such as core engineering, the hardware responsible for Pixel and Fitbit devices, and the team behind Google Assistant.

The New York Times and Semaphore first reported the layoffs, which have now been officially confirmed by Google. The core engineering team faced significant cuts, with notices and loss of system access for “several hundred” workers, the New York Times reported.

Meanwhile, Google’s devices and services team, responsible for designing smartphones, smartwatches and fitness trackers, underwent a restructuring on Monday, cutting hundreds of roles, according to 9to5Google.

The restructuring also affected Google Assistant, the company’s rival to Apple’s Siri and Amazon Alexa. The layoffs from that department were described as part of a broader plan to integrate newer artificial intelligence technology into the service.

A Google spokesperson, in response to the layoffs, said that Forbes that these changes were part of organizational changes aimed at enhancing efficiency, better collaboration and aligning resources with the company’s core product priorities. The spokesperson emphasized the company’s commitment to supporting affected employees in finding new roles within Google or elsewhere.

This move follows Google’s layoffs in early 2023, which saw about 12,000 workers laid off, making up about 6% of the workforce.

The decision, made amid concerns of a global economic downturn following a hiring boom caused by Covid-19, drew criticism from Chief Executive Sundar Pichai, who admitted the layoffs could have been dealt with more effectively in an internal meeting in December.

In the broader context of the tech industry, Google’s job cuts are in line with similar actions taken by Amazon, Twitch and Unity, pointing to a broader trend of downsizing the sector’s workforce.