The recent round of Google layoffs, which affects managerial, director-level, and vice president positions in Google, are in accordance with Google’s evolving business goals.
Google layoffs: In a major setback for Google employees occupying top managerial positions, the tech giant has reportedly cut top management roles by 10 percent. The announcement was made by Google CEO Sundar Pichai during an all-hands meeting on Wednesday. Pichai stated the layoffs are a part of Google’s yearlong push towards efficiency aimed at simplifying the company’s operations and boosting productivity.
According to a report by Business Insider, the layoffs, which affects managerial, director-level, and vice president positions in Google, are in accordance with Google’s evolving business goals.
A Google spokesperson revealed that some of the management roles affected by decision were were transitioned into nonmanagerial positions, while others were eliminated entirely. The move is a continuation of an efficiency strategy at Google, which was first outlined in September 2022, when CEO Sundar Pichai aimed to improve efficiency by 20%.
During the meeting, Pichai addressed another topic: redefining “Googleyness,” an internal term used to describe the company’s culture and values. “It’s time to update what Googleyness means for today’s Google,” Pichai told Google employees, hinting at preparing for upcoming challenges which the company is set to face in the coming future.
Google’s AI battle
Last year’s January 2023 layoffs, which saw Google make the biggest job cuts in its history– sacking 12,000 employees or roughly 6% of its workforce, provided momentum to the push to the company’s efficiency drive as it prepares for a tough battle with competitors in the artificial intelligence space.
Notably, Google’s rivals such as OpenAI have launched revolutionary AI-driven products like ChatGPT, presenting a threat to Google’s dominance in areas like search. The tech giant has responded by ramping up its AI initiatives, adding generative AI features to its core businesses and introducing innovative tools.
Google’s recent products include an AI video generator that reportedly outperformed OpenAI’s in testing, and the Gemini model series, which includes a “reasoning” model designed to showcase its decision-making process.
Comments are closed.