n n n ‘. concat(e. i18n. t(“search. voice. recognition_retry”),’n
(Bloomberg) — Alphabet Inc. ‘s Google is laying off many workers who work on its virtual assistant, hardware and engineering teams as part of a bid to cut costs.
Most on Bloomberg
SEC Clears Bitcoin-Spot ETFs in Crypto Breakthrough
Google Lays Off Hundreds in Hardware, Voice Assistant Teams
Amazon Twitch to 500 employees, or about 35% of the workforce
These are the strictest passports in the world in 2024
SEC says FBI investigating agency’s X account compromise
Affected employees included those running Google’s voice assistant and within the Augmented True hardware team. Employees at the company’s core engineering organization were also affected by job cuts, the company said.
The cuts come as Google’s core search business feels the warmth of Microsoft Corp. ‘s rival synthetic intelligence offerings. and ChatGPT author OpenAI. On calls with investors, Google executives pledged to examine their operations to identify spaces where they can make cuts and lose money. resources to invest in your highest priorities.
“Throughout the second half of 2023, several of our teams made adjustments to be more effective and perform better, and to align their resources with their top product priorities,” a Google spokesperson said in a statement. “Some groups continue to do that kind of organizational adjustment, which comes with some role eliminations globally. “
Workers at the search giant have been on edge since January last year, when parent company Alphabet announced it would cut about 12,000 jobs, or more than 6% of its global workforce. This sent shockwaves through Silicon Valley, but the company continued to make small cuts 2023, adding cutback groups focused on recruitment, news products, and the Waze mapping app.
Read more: Amazon lays off many more people at Prime Video, unit of Studios
While the wide-ranging circular on the January 2023 budget cuts was telegraphed through Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, this year’s cuts were communicated through lower-level executives, such as vice presidents and human resources, according to an existing worker and a former worker.
Amazon. com Inc. also laid off many workers at its Prime Video business and studios this week, raising questions about whether any other significant layoffs are underway in Silicon Valley.
Semafor first reported the layoffs to the Google Assistant team, while 9to5Google first reported the reorganization for hardware. Affected staff have begun receiving the news and will have the opportunity to apply for open positions elsewhere within Google, the company said.
The Alphabet Workers Union, which represents some of its employees, criticized the job cuts in a message posted on the social network X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Our members and teammates work hard every day to create wonderful products for our users, and the company can’t keep firing our colleagues while making billions every quarter,” the company said. We may not stop fighting until our jobs are secured!”
–With Josh Eidelson.
Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek
Trumponomics 2. 0: What to expect if Trump wins the 2024 election
U. S. Uses New Economic Tools to Rein in China’s War Machine
Five ETFs to watch in 2024
How AI replaced the metaverse as Zuckerberg’s top priority
Elon Musk’s alleged drug use is under the microscope
©2024 Bloomberg L. P.