Google lays off hundreds of employees in android pixel and chrome teams report

Google lays off hundreds of employees in android pixel and chrome teams report

Google on Thursday, laid off hundreds of employees from the platforms and devices unit, which works on the Android software, Pixel phones and the Chrome browser.

This cut comes after the tech giant's January buyout offers to employees in the unit, according to a report by The Information.

HT.com cannot independently verify the authenticity of the information contained in the report.

‘Since combining the Platforms and Devices teams last year, we’ve focused on becoming more nimble and operating more effectively and this included making some job reductions in addition to the voluntary exit program that we offered in January,’ the report quoted a Google spokesperson as having said.

This also comes after Google laid off employees in its cloud division in February, though it said that the job cut round affected only a few teams, according to a Bloomberg report.

Google in January 2023, had announced plans to cut as many as 12,000 jobs, which amounts to 6% of its global workforce, as per the report.

The Google layoffs come after competitor Microsoft is reportedly considering another layoff round, but focusing on middle managers this time as it looks to increase the ratio of coders versus non-coders on projects, according to Business Insider.

The Microsoft job cuts could even come as soon as May, and though it is unclear as to how many jobs will go, it can be a significant portion of the team, according to the report.

The layoffs at both the tech giants also come with Google now offering steep discounts to US federal agencies for its business apps package as and chip away at Microsoft's longstanding grip on the government software market, according to a Reuters report.