Google lays off hundreds of employees in Android, Pixel group

Alphabet’s Google on Thursday laid off hundreds of employees in its platforms and devices unit, which works on the Android software, Pixel phones and the Chrome browser, The Information reported on Friday, citing a person with direct knowledge of the situation.

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The cuts follow the company’s January buyout offers to employees in the unit, the report said.

“Since combining the Platforms and Devices teams last year, we’ve focused on becoming more nimble and operating more effectively and this included making some job reductions in addition to the voluntary exit program that we offered in January,” a Google spokesperson told The Information.

Google did not immediately respond to a Reuters’ request for comment.

Bloomberg in February reported that Google had cut employees in its cloud division, adding that the round of cuts impacted only a few teams.

In January 2023, Alphabet had announced plans to cut 12,000 jobs, or 6 per cent of its global workforce.