The company's pivot to AI was reportedly a hasty decision made in response to the threat posed by OpenAI's ChatGPT and its alliance with Microsoft. The rapid shift in focus led to the dismissal of 12,000 employees and the hiring of smaller, AI-adept teams. These new employees are essentially developing the technology that may eventually replace them.
Key takeaways:
- Google has laid off more than a thousand people since January 10, with more firings expected in the future as the company continues its pivot to AI, according to CEO Sundar Pichai.
- The layoffs have taken place across several departments, including advertising, customer sales, Google Assistant, Fitbit, and hardware verticals.
- Google's pivot to AI was a hasty decision made in response to the threat posed by OpenAI's ChatGPT and its alliance with Microsoft, leading to the layoff of 12,000 employees at the beginning of the previous year.
- While it appears that people are being replaced by AI, the reality is that they are being replaced with smaller teams of people who are adept at the technology as the company adjusts its course.