Google is beginning the year with a massive layoff impacting a wide range of its business sectors. The effort to slash costs comes as META, the owner of Facebook also cuts positions.
The total layoffs by tech giants so far in 2024 totals 154,000 workers. According to LinkedIn News, 260,000 tech workers lost their jobs in 2023.
“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,” a Google manager said. “Some teams are continuing to make these kinds of organizational changes, which include some role eliminations globally.”
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Many of the cuts will come in its augmented reality (AR) digital assistant (Hey Google) sectors. Other cuts will impact engineering and software tools teams the company confirmed.
The hardware teams work with Fitbit, Nest, and Pixel Watch.
Fitbit was acquired by Google in 2021 for $2.1 billion and at the time said it would work closely with the health and fitness firm to create new devices and services aimed at enhancing consumer “knowledge, success, health and happiness.”
The Alphabet Workers Union, which represents a cross-section of its employees, condemned the move on Twitter calling it “another round of needless layoffs.”
“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 group said. “We won’t stop fighting until our jobs are safe!”
Other tech companies have also announced layoffs including Amazon, Twitch, Instagram.
–Dwight Widaman & news services.
Photos: public domain and Huzaifa abedeen, wiki commons.
