Google lays off 200 employees in global business unit amid AI push

Google has laid off approximately 200 employees from its global business unit, as part of a broader operational restructuring aimed at aligning resources with the company’s growing focus on artificial intelligence and cloud infrastructure.

The job cuts, first reported by The Information, affect teams responsible for sales and partnerships. In a statement to news agency Reuters, the tech giant described the layoffs as a “small” adjustment designed to improve operational efficiency, enhance collaboration, and accelerate response times to customer needs.

The move is part of a wider trend across Alphabet Inc., Google’s parent company, which has been reallocating investment into data centre expansion and AI development.

This latest round of cuts follows a series of workforce reductions across various Google divisions. In April, hundreds of jobs were slashed from its platforms and devices group, which includes Android, Pixel, and Chrome operations. The company has been steadily trimming its workforce since early 2023.

Alphabet previously eliminated 12,000 positions in January 2023, approximately 6% of its global workforce, citing economic uncertainty and a need to streamline its operations. As of the end of 2024, Alphabet employed more than 183,000 staff globally.

Other technology giants have also implemented workforce reductions amid shifting priorities. Meta cut 5% of staff rated as underperforming, Microsoft made cuts to its Xbox division, Amazon reduced several units, and Apple implemented quieter layoffs within its digital services division.

The ongoing adjustments underscore a broader industry trend of pivoting towards high-growth sectors such as AI and cloud computing, as Big Tech companies reposition themselves in a fast-evolving digital economy.

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