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Google lays off 1,000+ employees in stealth as AI takes on the workload

Jan 18, 2024 - pocketgamer.biz
Google has been quietly laying off over a thousand employees across various departments, including ad sales, hardware, AR, Pixel, YouTube, and more throughout January 2024. The layoffs are part of a stealthy restructuring effort as the tech giant increasingly relies on artificial intelligence (AI) to take on the workload. The company has been integrating AI features into Google Ads and other services, which can provide material faster than human employees and without the need for a salary.

The layoffs have not been limited to the ad sales team. The New York Times reported job cuts from "core engineering" and teams focused on Google Assistant, the Pixel phone line, Nest, and Fitbit. YouTube's business team is also facing cuts, with around 100 roles being axed from the creator partnerships team. Google CEO Sundar Pichai has indicated that while these layoffs are not as large-scale as those in the previous year, some teams will continue to face resource allocation decisions throughout the year.

Key takeaways:

  • Google has been quietly laying off employees throughout January 2024, with job cuts across multiple departments including ad sales, hardware, AR, and YouTube.
  • The company is increasingly relying on machine-learning artificial intelligence, particularly in its ad sales team, replacing human employees with AI features in Google Ads.
  • Other departments affected by the restructure include core engineering, Google Assistant, the Pixel phone line, Nest, and Fitbit, with Fitbit co-founders James Park and Eric Friedman among those leaving Google.
  • YouTube’s business team is the latest to face cuts, with around 100 roles being axed from the creator partnerships team and the music-related and support teams being reorganised.
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