Google cuts 12,000 jobs as tech woes bite again
Google's parent company Alphabet announced on Friday it will cut about 12,000 jobs globally, citing a changing economic reality as it became the latest US tech giant to enact large-scale restructuring. The layoffs come a day after Microsoft said it would reduce staff numbers by 10,000 in the coming months, following similar cuts by Facebook owner Meta, Amazon and Twitter as the tech sector girds for economic downturn. The cuts follow a major hiring spree during the height of the coronavirus pandemic when companies scrambled to meet demand as people went online for work, school and entertainment. "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," Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said in an email to employees. "We've undertaken a rigorous review across product areas and functions to ensure that our people and roles are aligned with our highest priorities as a company," Pichai said, adding that the workforce would be reduced by around 12,000 positions. "The roles we're eliminating reflect the outcome of that review." Alphabet employed nearly 187,000 workers worldwide at the end of September 2022. The cuts represent a little over 6 percent of its total workforce. Pichai said American employees have already been notified about the cuts while reductions in other countries will take longer due to local labour laws. The cuts will be "across departments, functions, levels of responsibility and regions," Pichai added. "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." (AFP)