Google Lays Off Hundreds In Hardware, Voice Assistant Teams
Alphabet's Google announced on Wednesday that it is cutting off hundreds of employees across several organisations, including Fitbit co-founders James Park and Eric Friedman, as the tech giant continues to cut expenses.
Google has announced the layoff of hundreds of employees at its Voice Assistant unit, as well as the elimination of a few hundred posts in the hardware team responsible for Pixel, Nest, and Fitbit, with the majority of the augmented reality (AR) team being let go. Hundreds of positions in Google's central engineering team are also at risk, according to the company.
"Throughout second-half of 2023, a number of our teams made changes to become more efficient and work better, and to align their resources to their biggest product priorities. Some teams are continuing to make these kinds of organizational changes, which include some role eliminations globally," a spokesperson for Google told Reuters in a statement.
The representative did not identify the number of affected roles. It is not immediately apparent how many individuals work on the Google Assistant software and other teams.
The reorganisation of certain teams occurs at a time when firms such as Microsoft and Google are betting on the increasing usage of generative artificial intelligence (AI) technology following the success of OpenAI's ChatGPT.
Google said last year that it would be adding generative AI capabilities to its virtual assistant. AI would enable the assistant to aid people in planning a trip or catching up on emails, as well as ask clarifying questions. In January 2023, Alphabet revealed plans to slash 12,000 workers, or 6 per cent of its global workforce.
