Layoffs 2024: Google Initiates Workforce Reductions

Google Implements Significant Workforce Reductions Across Multiple Divisions

Google has recently laid off "several hundred" employees in various divisions, including hardware (Pixel, Nest, and Fitbit), core engineering, and Google Assistant, as part of its ongoing efforts to optimize operations.

The cutbacks, effective immediately, are estimated to be at least 600 positions, with reports suggesting the number may be higher.

A Google spokesperson stated, "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."

As a result of the layoffs, Google is reorganizing its Pixel, Nest, and Fitbit divisions, with a unified team overseeing hardware engineering across all three.

Notably, Fitbit co-founders James Park and Eric Friedman, along with other leaders, are departing from the company.

In an internal communication to affected employees in the core engineering division, Google expressed regret, stating, "We’ve had to make some difficult decisions about ongoing employment of some Google employees."

The company declined to specify if other divisions were affected.

In 2023, Google witnessed one of its largest job cut episodes, with around 12,000 layoffs in January.

The current layoffs are part of a broader trend in the industry, with over 220,000 job reductions in 2023 across major companies like Meta, Alphabet, Microsoft, Spotify, and Amazon.

The Alphabet Workers Union-CWA issued a statement, condemning the layoffs as unnecessary and counterproductive.

The union alleges that despite Google's substantial profits, layoffs persist due to corporate greed. The union emphasizes the need for collective action to prevent recurring annual layoffs.