Google Trims Workforce: 12,000 Job Cuts in the Wake of Pandemic Economic Realities.
By Nitin Singh
Google has announced plans to lay off 12,000 employees, or about 6% of its workforce.
The layoffs are in response to shifts in economic realities following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Other tech companies, including Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook, and Salesforce, have also announced layoffs amid a slowdown in industry growth.
Google's workforce grew significantly during the pandemic, reaching nearly 187,000 people by the end of last year.
The layoffs will affect various regions, product areas, and functions across the company.
Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai stated that the layoffs are a result of a "rigorous review" of Google's operations.
Pichai also noted that Google, being a company that has been in business for nearly a quarter of a century, is "bound to go through difficult economic cycles."
Job cuts will take place in the US and other unspecified countries.
Wedbush Securities analysts noted that the tech industry has been forced to freeze hiring and cut jobs as the "clock has struck midnight on hyper growth and digital advertising headwinds are on the horizon."