Google slashes jobs globally, shifts core team roles to India and Mexico

Out of the total 200 job cuts, nearly 50 were removed from the California-based engineering team as the company now looks to hire cheap labour as part of its cost-cutting exercise

In the latest round of technology layoffs, Alphabet Inc's subsidiary Google has reportedly terminated approximately 200 employees from its "core team" and transferred certain positions abroad, including to India and Mexico, in a cost-cutting exercise amid a restructuring drive.

According to reports, nearly 50 positions were removed from the engineering team based at its California headquarters.

The technology giant plans to recruit replacement staff for roles in India and Mexico, as indicated by internal company documents accessed by CNBC.

Google's core team is responsible for developing the technical infrastructure for the company's flagship products, ensuring user safety online, and managing its global information technology framework. This includes essential technical divisions such as information technology, Python development, technical infrastructure, security protocols, application platforms, core development, and various engineering functions.

 

In an email communication last week, Asim Husain, vice president of Google Developer Ecosystem, announced the layoffs, describing them as the most significant reduction in his team's workforce.

"We intend to maintain our current global footprint while also expanding in high-growth global workforce locations so that we can operate closer to our partners and developer communities," he wrote in the email, reported by CNBC.

Additionally, a Google spokesperson told the New York Post that affected employees would have the opportunity to apply for other available positions within the company. The technology firm emphasised streamlining structures to provide employees with more opportunities to focus on innovative projects and core priorities while reducing bureaucracy, he reasoned.

Earlier this week, Google reportedly downsized its Python, Dart, and Flutter teams, although the exact number of job cuts remains undisclosed. "As we've stated, we're investing responsibly in our company's key priorities and significant opportunities ahead," commented Google spokesperson Alex García-Kummert to TechCrunch.

Since early last year, Google's parent company, Alphabet, has been reducing its workforce, announcing plans to cut approximately 12,000 jobs, constituting six per cent of its employees, following a downturn in the online advertising market.

Google's recent layoffs are part of a broader trend of significant job cuts affecting some of the world's largest companies in April 2024, with technology giants like Tesla, Intel, Amazon, and Apple all compelled to reduce their workforce. To date, over 75,000 individuals have lost their jobs in the technology sector this year, according to a Times of India estimate.

Last month, Apple laid off around 600 employees after shutting down its ambitious car project, which had been in the works since 2014. Meanwhile, Tesla slashed as many as 14,000 jobs amid increasing competition and declining sales.

Indian startups have not been safe from the wave of layoffs either. Last week, Bengaluru-based health technology startup Healthify laid off around 150 (27 per cent) of its sales and product team employees, resulting from a restructuring exercise. Earlier in April, Bengaluru-based electric vehicle charging infrastructure provider Bolt.Earth also announced a restructuring exercise impacting between 70 and 100 employees, while Byju laid off close to 500 employees.