Google axing 12,000 jobs, as tech industry layoffs widen

LONDON: Google is laying off 12,000 workers, becoming the latest tech company to trim staff after rapid expansions during the Covid-19 pandemic have worn off.

CEO Sundar Pichai shared the news on Friday in an email to staff at the Silicon Valley giant that was also posted on the company's news blog.

“Over the past two years we've seen periods of dramatic growth,” Pichai wrote. “To match and fuel that growth, we hired for a different economic reality than the one we face today.” He said the layoffs reflect a “rigorous review'' carried out by Google of its operations.

The jobs being eliminated “cut across Alphabet, product areas, functions, levels and regions”, Pichai said.

Earlier this week, Microsoft announced 10,000 job cuts, or nearly 5 per cent of its workforce. Amazon is cutting 18,000 jobs and Facebook parent Meta is shedding 11,000 positions.