Tech gaint Google is reportdely triming staff at its platforms and devices unit. As per reports, the company has laid off hundereds of emplyees in its Android software, Pixel phones and the Chrome browser units. This has come after the company announced the buyout offers to employees in these units. A Google spokesperson stated to The Information that since the merging of the Platforms and Devices teams the previous year, the company had been concentrating on becoming more agile and improving its operations. This focus had led to some job reductions, in addition to the voluntary exit program that was offered in January.
In February, Bloomberg reported that Google had reduced staff in its cloud services division, although the cuts only affected a small number of teams. Earlier, in January 2023, Alphabet, Google's parent company, announced plans to lay off 12,000 employees, which is about 6 percent of its entire workforce globally.
In January this year, Google employees from the U.S. and Canada expressed their concerns through an internal petition regarding ongoing job layoffs and called for improved severance terms. According to reports, over 1,250 employees signed the petition.
In the petition, the workers indicated their anxiety about the “instability” within the company. They highlighted that factors such as low performance reviews, the absence of buyouts for those leaving, and unclear severance terms were affecting their ability to perform high-quality, impactful work. Many employees who added their names to the petition were particularly worried that their severance terms might differ from those received by former Google employees who were laid off in January 2023.
The petition was attributed to the Alphabet Workers Union and was directed to CEO Sundar Pichai. Signatories of the petition collectively criticised Google's performance review system, arguing that it did not adequately consider individual merit.
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