Google axes jobs in assistant, hardware, and engineering teams

Google has decided to streamline its workforce, announcing layoffs across its Voice Assistant, hardware, and engineering teams on Wednesday, in a bid to optimise operations and prioritise key areas.

According to Reuters, this latest round of job cuts comes on the heels of previous workforce reductions and the departure of Fitbit co-founders James Park and Eric Friedman.

Hundreds of employees in the Google Assistant unit, responsible for the voice-activated technology behind products like Google Home and smartphones, are facing the axe.

Similarly, in the hardware team that manages Pixel phones, Nest smart home devices, and Fitbit wearables, a few hundred roles are being eliminated, primarily from the augmented reality (AR) division.

The central engineering team is also experiencing job cuts, affecting an undisclosed number of positions.

Google's acquisition of Fitbit in 2021 for $2.1 billion was followed by continued development of its own Pixel Watch, raising questions about potential redundancy within the wearables market.

In a statement, the tech giant acknowledged ongoing organisational changes initiated in the latter half of 2023, aimed at boosting efficiency and aligning resources with top product priorities.

"Some teams are continuing to make these kinds of organisational changes, which include some role eliminations globally," a Google spokesperson told Reuters.

While the exact number of affected employees remains confidential, the extent of the cuts across Assistant, hardware, and engineering underscores a significant restructuring effort.

This workforce reduction comes at a critical juncture for tech giants like Google and Microsoft, both heavily invested in the burgeoning field of generative artificial intelligence (AI) following the success of OpenAI's ChatGPT.

Google itself announced plans last year to integrate generative AI capabilities into its Assistant, enabling it to tackle tasks like trip planning and email management with greater autonomy.

The job cuts mark a continuation of Google's workforce adjustments. In January 2023, Alphabet announced plans to let go of 12,000 employees, representing 6 per cent of its global workforce. As of September 2023, the company employed 182,381 individuals worldwide.