Google parent Alphabet is eliminating about 12 000 jobs, or 6% of its workforce, the company said on Friday, in the latest cuts to shake the technology sector.
Sundar Pichai, Alphabet’s CEO, said in a staff memo that the company had rapidly expanded headcount in recent years “for a different economic reality than the one we face today”. “I take full responsibility for the decisions that led us here.”
The cuts come days after rival Microsoft said it would lay off 10 000 workers.
Alphabet’s job losses affect teams across the company including recruiting and some corporate functions, as well as some engineering and products teams. The layoffs are global and impact US staff immediately.
Read: Thousands of jobs said to go at Microsoft
Alphabet has already e-mailed affected employees, the memo said, while the process will take longer in other countries due to local employment laws and practices.
Read: Amazon to slash more than 18 000 jobs
The news comes during a period of economic uncertainty as well as technological promise, in which Google and Microsoft have been investing in a burgeoning area of software known as generative artificial intelligence.
Read: Meta to cut 11 000 jobs
“I am confident about the huge opportunity in front of us thanks to the strength of our mission, the value of our products and services, and our early investments in AI,” Pichai said in the note. — Jeffrey Dastin, (c) 2023 Reuters