News: Is Google downsizing again? CEO Sundar Pichai's statement fuels layoff speculation

Strategic HR

Is Google downsizing again? CEO Sundar Pichai's statement fuels layoff speculation

Google CEO Pichai hints at a possible second round of layoffs in a recent interview. He also emphasised the company's focus on current opportunities, remaining work, and prioritising key areas.
Is Google downsizing again? CEO Sundar Pichai's statement fuels layoff speculation

Google seems to be aligning with other tech companies like Meta and Amazon by considering layoffs. According to a recent report, the search giant may be preparing for another round of workforce reductions. During a recent interview, CEO Sundar Pichai alluded to the possibility of impending layoffs at Google.

During a conversation with the Wall Street Journal, Pichai emphasised that Google is diligently prioritising their current opportunities and acknowledging that there is still a significant amount of work ahead. The CEO revealed that the company is actively allocating resources to its most critical areas to ensure strategic focus and progress.

A few months back, Pichai stated that Google's goal is to achieve a 20% increase in efficiency. In a recent interview, the CEO reiterated the company's commitment to enhancing efficiency and stated that they are meticulously examining every aspect of their operations. Pichai also mentioned that his company is actively working on re-engineering its cost structure in a sustainable manner. While acknowledging progress, he noted that there is still a significant amount of work remaining to be done.

"We’re very, very focused on this set of opportunities we have, and I think there’s a lot of work left. There’s also an important inflexion point with AI. Where we can, we are definitely prioritizing and moving people to our most important areas, so that is ongoing work," Pichai said.

The CEO of Google also stated that they are “trying to accomplish that across many different ways. We’re literally looking at every aspect of what we do, and as we said on our last earnings call, we’re thinking about how to re-engineer our cost base in a durable way. We are definitely being focused on creating durable savings. We are pleased with the progress, but there’s more work left to do."

Although Pichai did not explicitly confirm or deny the likelihood of a second round of layoffs, he did stress that Google's current focus is on enhancing efficiency and prioritising critical areas.

This recent statement comes on the heels of Google's global workforce reduction of approximately 12,000 employees earlier this year in January. The company initially laid off employees in the United States and later in India, with reports suggesting that around 850 employees in India were affected. However, Google has not officially disclosed any specific numbers regarding the layoffs.

Google is implementing various organisational changes as part of its cost-cutting measures and efforts to enhance efficiency. Recent reports have revealed that the company has suspended the provision of snacks and staplers to employees, and has also asked employees to share desks. These steps reflect Google's focus on optimising resources and streamlining operations for increased efficiency.

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Topics: Strategic HR, Leadership, #Layoffs, #HRTech, #HRCommunity

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