Google is getting an early jump on spring cleaning, with reports about layoffs and statements from the company popping up like crazy since last night. Now confirmed by Google, the company is indeed reorganizing multiple divisions, including the Pixel, Nest, and Fitbit teams. This reorganization process is resulting in hundreds losing their jobs.
Before this process, each division had its own distinct teams for things like hardware design, engineering, software, etc. Moving forward, it’s reported that Google will have a single team for things like hardware engineering across multiple divisions. In doing so, there will now be a single leader for said facet of products across all Google hardware. It sounds like quite the undertaking on Google’s part, one that is unfortunately resulting in turmoil for employees.
Earlier this morning, Google announced it was cutting many features from Google Assistant. Maybe not so coincidentally, one report from this week has that team’s headcount losses in the hundreds. It’s also reported that as part of the Fitbit restructuring, Fitbit co-founders James Park and Eric Friedman, as well as other Fitbit leaders, are leaving Google.
In the grand scheme, Alphabet last reported that it employed over 180,000 people worldwide. That huge number can make this round of layoffs seem rather insignificant, but to the people it affects, we know for a fact that it can be anything but.
// 9to5Google | The Verge | Semafor
DEI coming home to nest.
Restructure the Messaging dept. #Getthemessage
What, like Google Voice actually adopting RCS? #GoogleNeedsToGetTheMessageItselfToo
I wonder if it’s possible Google achieved AGI and is keeping it under wraps as these layoffs are all AI related?
Once someone achieves AGI, they won’t need AI coders any longer as the AGI would be capable of doing far more than an army of AI coders.
Laying off AI related employees and departments during the race to AGI doesn’t make sense otherwise.
What is the test for knowing whether or not AGI has been achieved, when they can’t even test for all the hallucinations now?
No idea, but guessing it would be generating far more code than all of their AI coders combined.
Just made me consider it as there is currently a massive drive to reach AGI and for Google to layoff a bunch of those people now? Just seems, odd.
*Unless* they’ve succeeded and as a result, those people are no longer needed.
Just something that occured to me, no evidence, no info on it…just purely guessing.
Do you think the US stands a chance in being first?
What, China?
Maybe, except their tech sector has a habit of blatantly copying others so I’m not sure how much “innovation” they’re really doing.
I can see the message now
Dear Employee
Your job is no longer being supported. We are replacing your job with an even better version called Youtube-job.
Thanks,
Alphabet
p.s. Youtube-job will no longer be supported
A unified product development pipeline should result in more cohesive product compatibility and integration.
Who knows, maybe we’ll get Nest Protect in the Google Home app now!
ANY company or organization that has 180,000+ employees definitely has employees they can cut who are not contributing to the mission. This is healthy. Best to do this than just have the company get bloated and full of bureaucracy. As far as the poor employees who are getting the ax, well best time ever to get let go seeing how unemployment is the lowest in 40 years so I am sure they will all get picked-up by another company within a month or two. Not to mention these big tech companies have generous severance packages.
POV: You haven’t tried job hunting as a software engineer in the past year.
Its only hard getting a software engineering job if you expect the same pay and benefits as Google (or any FAANG) was providing. My company has been looking for engineers all year and we plan to hire 10 more over the next couple years. Good pay, but not that crazy Google pay. Also, once you work in FAANG you can pretty much get a job at any mundane software gig with little problem. The people having a hard time are “highly paid consultant” types or those that didn’t realize that FAANG is magical unicorn land and NOT what most developers make. They should have fat investment accounts and a decent savings. If they are pragmatic and don’t actually believe they are as special as they were told they were they’ll be just fine.
Bummer for those that lost their jobs, but Google desperately needed a team/leadership reorganization. The “siloed team releases half-baked moon-shot” that worked 10-15 years ago just doesn’t cut it today.
What was the last thing Google released that was truly innovative and not just a reaction to the market?
I want to say Google Wave, but we all know what happened with that one.