Google offers 'voluntary' buyouts to hardware and platform teams
Google is offering buyouts to employees in its "Platforms and Devices" unit ahead of expected cuts.
That unit includes more than 25,000 full-time employees who work on Android, Chrome, ChromeOS, Google Photos, Google One, Pixel, Fitbit and Nest, according to internal documents reviewed by CNBC. The voluntary exit enrollment applies to full-time employees in the U.S. It's unclear how many of the unit's full-time workers are based in the U.S.
"This gives eligible P&D Googlers in my direct-reporting org the ability to voluntarily leave the company with a severance package," wrote Rick Osterloh, senior vice president of Platforms and Devices, in a memo to employees Thursday that was viewed by CNBC.
The buyouts are a signal of expected cuts within Google as it continues prioritizing artificial intelligence. In October, new CFO Anat Ashkenazi said one of her top priorities would be to drive more cost cutting as Google expands its spending on AI infrastructure in 2025.
"Any organization can always push a little further and I'll be looking at additional opportunities," she said, referring to cost cutting.
A Google spokesperson confirmed the buyout program to CNBC, saying it comes after the company combined its Android and Pixel divisions last April.
"There's tremendous momentum on this team and with so much important work ahead, we want everyone to be deeply committed to our mission and focused on building great products, with speed and efficiency," the spokesperson said in a statement.
The "voluntary exit plan" may be a fit for employees who are struggling to meet the demands of their jobs, the unit's hybrid work environment or whose passions don't align with the division's mission and goal, Osterloh said. The program is the "right