Google’s 12,000 RIF Unnerves Staff

Google workers were worried about being laid off when they saw colleagues at competitor technology companies lose their jobs in droves. Some of them couldn’t access their corporate accounts on Friday morning.

Alphabet Inc. is the company’s owner. Eventually, it fired 12,000 workers or 6% of the workforce. Employees reported a smooth if unpersonalized process that was mostly carried out using the same technology gadgets they helped develop. The firm gave no direct answers to individuals as to why they were chosen or rejected.

Others discovered they lost their jobs via emails sent to their email addresses. The remaining staff resorted to messaging their coworkers on Google Chat since there was no central method for them to know which positions had been removed. According to a Google employee who wished to remain anonymous since he wasn’t authorized to speak with the media, they’d have lost their job if the person had not resigned.

Which Functions Have Been Most Affected by The Layoff so Far?

Employees started to express hypotheses and concerns about the future in messaging apps and internal chat rooms. Layoffs looked more structural rather than performance-based. According to multiple people who spoke with Bloomberg, some employees worried that the company would eliminate their tasks. The worries evolved even though performance evaluations have yet to be finalized later this month. When speaking about internal matters, they requested that their names not be named.

The laid-off workers used Discord and Slack to keep in touch after losing their positions.

During the layoffs of thousands of staff by tech giants such as Amazon.com Inc., Microsoft Corp., and Meta Platforms Inc., Google had stayed away from reducing its ranks. The cuts appeared to affect a large portion of the firm when they did arrive.

Artificial intelligence departments seem to have come out relatively unharmed. Sundar Pichai, Google’s Chief Executive Officer, justified the layoffs as a method for the firm to concentrate on artificial intelligence.

However, Area 120, a new idea incubator within the company, got no way out. Three projects that Google will integrate got out safely, including the unit’s managing partner and employees. According to two sources familiar with the situation, the company laid off practically all other personnel.