Google’s parent Alphabet to fire 12,000 employees; Pichai says ‘sorry’

Express News Service

BENGALURU: Google parent Alphabet on Friday said that it will eliminate 12,000 jobs across Alphabet product areas, functions, levels and regions. On January 18, Microsoft announced 10,000 job cuts. The tech sector has been deeply impacted with these reductions in roles.

CEO Sundar Pichai in an email to employees said, “Over the past two years we’ve seen periods of dramatic growth. To match and fuel that growth, we hired for a different economic reality than the one we face today.”

“I’m deeply sorry for that. The fact that these changes will impact the lives of Googlers weighs heavily on me, and I take full responsibility for the decisions that led us here,” he added.

The company is to pay employees during the full notification period – a minimum of 60 days – and it will also offer a severance package starting at 16 weeks’ salary plus two weeks for every additional year at Google.

Outside the US, Google is to support employees in line with local practices.

“As an almost 25-year-old company, we’re bound to go through difficult economic cycles. These are important moments to sharpen our focus, re-engineer our cost base, and direct our talent and capital to our highest priorities,” he said.

Being constrained in some areas allows us to bet big on others. Pivoting the company to be AI-first years ago led to groundbreaking advances across our businesses and the whole industry, Pichai added.

Alphabet also informed that they have already sent a separate email to employees in the US who are affected. In other countries, this process will take longer due to local laws and practices.

More than 1,600 tech employees are being laid off per day on an average in 2023 globally, including in India, and the sacking episodes have gained speed amid global economic meltdown and recession fears.

The year 2023 has begun on a bad note for tech workers globally as 91 companies have laid off more than 24,000 tech employees in the first 15 days this month, signalling worse days ahead.

Amazon announced that they would be laying off 18,000 employees globally, including nearly 1,000 in India.

Cyber-security company Sophos is laying off about 450 people globally including in India — which is 10 per cent of its workforce — to achieve “the optimal balance of growth and profitability”.

<br /> BENGALURU: Google parent Alphabet on Friday said that it will eliminate 12,000 jobs across Alphabet product areas, functions, levels and regions. On January 18, Microsoft announced 10,000 job cuts. The tech sector has been deeply impacted with these reductions in roles.</p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.85 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad241053 " id="quads-ad241053" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.85 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7550963679842137" data-ad-slot="3250057321"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>CEO Sundar Pichai in an email to employees said, “Over the past two years we’ve seen periods of dramatic growth. To match and fuel that growth, we hired for a different economic reality than the one we face today.”</p> <p>“I’m deeply sorry for that. The fact that these changes will impact the lives of Googlers weighs heavily on me, and I take full responsibility for the decisions that led us here,” he added.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2′); });</p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.85 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad241053 " id="quads-ad241053" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.85 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7550963679842137" data-ad-slot="3250057321"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>The company is to pay employees during the full notification period – a minimum of 60 days – and it will also offer a severance package starting at 16 weeks’ salary plus two weeks for every additional year at Google.</p> <p>Outside the US, Google is to support employees in line with local practices.</p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.85 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad241053 " id="quads-ad241053" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.85 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7550963679842137" data-ad-slot="3250057321"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>“As an almost 25-year-old company, we’re bound to go through difficult economic cycles. These are important moments to sharpen our focus, re-engineer our cost base, and direct our talent and capital to our highest priorities,” he said.</p> <p>Being constrained in some areas allows us to bet big on others. Pivoting the company to be AI-first years ago led to groundbreaking advances across our businesses and the whole industry, Pichai added.</p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.85 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad241053 " id="quads-ad241053" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.85 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7550963679842137" data-ad-slot="3250057321"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>Alphabet also informed that they have already sent a separate email to employees in the US who are affected. In other countries, this process will take longer due to local laws and practices.</p> <p>More than 1,600 tech employees are being laid off per day on an average in 2023 globally, including in India, and the sacking episodes have gained speed amid global economic meltdown and recession fears.</p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.85 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad241053 " id="quads-ad241053" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.85 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7550963679842137" data-ad-slot="3250057321"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>The year 2023 has begun on a bad note for tech workers globally as 91 companies have laid off more than 24,000 tech employees in the first 15 days this month, signalling worse days ahead.</p> <p>Amazon announced that they would be laying off 18,000 employees globally, including nearly 1,000 in India.</p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.85 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad241053 " id="quads-ad241053" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.85 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7550963679842137" data-ad-slot="3250057321"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>Cyber-security company Sophos is laying off about 450 people globally including in India — which is 10 per cent of its workforce — to achieve “the optimal balance of growth and profitability”.<br />