Google layoff news: Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, has spoken out about the likelihood of a second round of layoffs for the tech giant. Pichai told the Wall Street Journal that the business is “very, very focused” on its existing potential and that there is “a lot of work left.” He also stated that they are prioritising their most critical areas and relocating personnel accordingly.
When asked about the company’s goal of becoming 20% more efficient, Pichai stated that they are “literally looking at every area of what we do” and are focusing on re-engineering their cost base in a sustainable manner. While he acknowledged that progress has been achieved, he stated that there is still much more work to be done.
ALSO READ: Google to lay off 12,000 workers; CEO Sundar Pichai says 'sorry'
He went on to say that they are attempting to accomplish this in a variety of ways. Pichai said they are essentially looking at every area of what they do, and as they mentioned on their last earnings call, they are considering how to re-engineer their cost base in a long-term fashion. He added that they are clearly focused on accumulating long-term savings. Pichai further said that they are satisfied with the development, but there is still more to be done.
This comes after Google announced intentions in January to lay off approximately 12,000 employees worldwide. The layoffs began in the United States. It also affected about 450 Indian employees. The layoffs coincided with the underwhelming launch of the Google Bard AI, which made a factual blunder during its presentation, resulting in a $100 billion drop in Google’s valuation.
ALSO READ: Google to come up with 381,000 sq ft data centre in Navi Mumbai by 2025
Google has also made changes to staff services in an effort to save money, such as limiting the frequency of laptop updates and reducing modest expenses such as staplers and snacks.
While Pichai did not confirm or deny a second round of layoffs, it is evident that the corporation is focused on improving efficiency and prioritising key areas. Meta and Amazon are two tech behemoths that have gone through a second round of layoffs.