Google has disclosed plans to reduce its workforce across multiple divisions in a bid to decrease expenses. The tech giant's move is part of its ongoing competition with other major technology companies for dominance in the artificial intelligence sector.
As reported by the New York Times, Google has dismissed employees from its engineering division, as well as those involved with the Google Assistant and the company's hardware division. This follows a similar pattern from last year when Google laid off thousands of workers to conserve funds. In January 2023, the company undertook its largest single wave of layoffs, letting go of nearly 12,000 employees.
"Many of these changes are already announced, though to be up front some teams will continue to make specific resource allocation decisions throughout the year where needed, and some roles may be impacted," said Pichai in an internal memo addressed to Google employees. He explained that these layoffs were intended to create room for investments that Google aims to make in 2024. According to a news article by crn.com, Pichai stated that difficult decisions had to be made in order to achieve these objectives. Streamlining operations and increasing speed in certain areas of business were also cited as key reasons for the layoffs. "These role eliminations are not at the scale of last year’s reductions and will not touch every team," Pichai wrote further in his memo. "But I know it’s very difficult to see colleagues and teams impacted."
In line with its AI focus, Google is set on using this technology not only to expand its own business but also assist other companies' development. As per an article published by Google itself, the company is launching 'Google for Startups Accelerator: AI-First'. This initiative offers 10 weeks of mentorship and technical support for startups seeking to incorporate AI into their primary services and products. The program is scheduled for launch in April 2024, with applications opening on February 15th.
