Google Initiates New Wave of Layoffs Across Multiple Divisions
Google kicks off 2024 by eliminating hundreds of roles across its hardware, Assistant, core engineering, and ad sales teams as part of a major restructuring effort.
Google initiates a wave of layoffs across multiple divisions just days into 2024, eliminating hundreds of positions as part of a broader company restructuring. The cuts impact several major teams, including the hardware division, the Google Assistant group, the knowledge and information product teams, and core engineering. These role eliminations follow the departure of Fitbit cofounders James Park and Eric Friedman and coincide with upcoming changes that remove select "underutilized" features from Google Assistant.
The restructuring focuses heavily on integrating advanced artificial intelligence into the company's flagship products. For the Assistant team, Google states that the changes aim to ensure the AI-powered Assistant with Bard extends beyond voice commands, better understands users, and handles personal tasks in innovative ways. Separately, the company confirms that previously rumored reorganizations within the ad sales division result in the elimination of numerous sales and marketing roles.
The Alphabet Workers Union issues a strong statement condemning the job cuts, arguing that the company fires hardworking coworkers while continuing to earn billions every quarter. This current staggered wave of layoffs arrives almost exactly one year after Google announced a massive reduction of 12,000 employees in January 2023. The union vows to continue fighting until job security is fully restored for its members.