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A Google spokesperson said a number of teams are eliminating roles as part of an effort to become more efficient.
The period of tech layoffs at the start of 2023 appears to be repeating itself, as Google is cutting hundreds of staff globally.
The tech giant is cutting hundreds of staff from multiple divisions according to numerous reports. A Google spokesperson confirmed to SiliconRepublic.com that layoffs are taking place and that the company is “responsibly investing” in its biggest priorities and “the significant opportunities ahead”.
“To best position us for these opportunities, throughout the second half of 2023 a number of our teams made changes to become more efficient and work better, and to align their resources to their biggest product priorities,” the spokesperson said. “Some teams are continuing to make these kinds of organisational changes, which include some role eliminations globally.
“Any proposed organisational team changes are subject to local regulations and processes. We’re continuing to support any impacted employees as they look for new roles here at Google and beyond.”
Reuters claims these layoffs are affecting Google’s Voice Assistant, Pixel, Nest, FitBit and AR teams, while Fitbit co-founders James Park and Eric Friedman are leaving the company.
The number of job losses are unclear, but a report by The Verge suggests that at least a thousand staff appear to be impacted as a few hundred staff are being cut from multiple divisions, including its core engineering and Google Assistant teams.
Google employees have taken to X – formerly known as Twitter – to confirm the layoffs. The account of the Alphabet Workers Union condemned the action by the company and called the layoffs “needless”.
“Our members and teammates work hard every day to build great products for our users, and the company cannot continue to fire our coworkers while making billions every quarter,” the union said on X. “We won’t stop fighting until our jobs are safe.”
Job losses in the tech sector appear to be mounting this year. Twitch CEO Dan Clancy recently told staff that the Amazon-owned company is cutting more than 500 jobs to “rightsize” the business and run it more sustainably.
Earlier this month, digital printing company Xerox revealed plans to cut thousands of staff this quarter, as part of a “reinvention” strategy that could lead to Irish job losses. Meanwhile, New-York based start-up InVision recenlty announced that it’s shutting down its platform at the end of this year.
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