Google Confirms More Layoffs Coming in the Months Ahead

Google has no plans to stop cutting jobs, following two layoffs that have affected thousands of its workers.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai told employees in an internal memo that the company has to make "tough choices" to create the capacity to reach its ambiguous goals this year.

These "tough choices" include removing members from the tech giant's hardware, ad sales, search, and YouTube teams.

"These role eliminations are not at the scale of last year’s reductions, and will not touch every team," Pichai explained. "But I know it’s very difficult to see colleagues and teams impacted."

While last year saw 12,000 layoffs due to the company's shift towards AI technology, this year's wave is more concerned with "removing layers to simplify execution and drive velocity in some areas."

“Many of these changes are already announced, though to be upfront, some teams will continue to make specific resource allocation decisions throughout the year where needed, and some roles may be impacted,” Pichai explained.

The memo comes after Google laid off thousands of workers in early January amid intensifying competition from tech giants such as Microsoft and OpenAI. 

On Wednesday, Google commenced its second round of layoffs in 2024, slashing headcount from its ad sales team. 

Commenting on the decision, Google spokesperson Chris Pappas emphasized the company's "rigorous process" of restructuring that it goes through every year.