Google employees offered money to be laid off; Step taken before court decision amid uncertainty

Google has offered money to employees in several of its major departments to leave their jobs during a period of cost-cutting. This decision comes amidst the possibility of a court order to break up Google's internet empire. The company in California has confirmed such reports. However, it is not yet clear how many employees have been affected by this.

According to The Wall Street Journal, employees in Google Search, advertising, research, and engineering units have received offers. Company spokesperson Courtney Mancini said, "Earlier this year, some of our teams started a voluntary exit program with US-based Google employees leaving their jobs." Many teams are also asking remote employees living near the office to return to hybrid work schedules to foster in-person collaboration.

The offer to quit in exchange for payment has emerged ahead of the court's ruling. The US Justice Department has classified the Google search engine as an illegal monopoly. District Judge Amit Mehta is considering the government's proposal, which seeks to prevent Google from paying more than $26 billion annually. This would compel them to limit the search engine, share data with competitors, and sell the Chrome browser.

Google has been reducing its number of employees from time to time since 2023. The company is pulling back from the recruitment surge initiated during the lockdown. Google began its post-pandemic layoffs by cutting 12,000 jobs in early 2023. Now, the company is increasing its investment in AI.