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Google Offers Voluntary Buyouts to Employees in Five Countries
Google is offering voluntary severance packages to some employees in five countries as it spends more on AI.
Key points
- Google's voluntary exit offers now cover employees in Canada, France, Germany, Japan and Switzerland.
- The package pays one month's salary for each year of service, subject to a maximum payout of 12 months.
- Alphabet has been increasing its AI spending, putting pressure on Google to manage expenses.
Why it matters. The cost moves come as Google puts more money into AI, and other technology companies are also reassessing their workforce requirements amid rising AI-related expenses.
Google has widened its voluntary exit programme, offering severance to staff in Canada, France, Germany, Japan and Switzerland, Reuters reported. Switzerland, home to around 5,000 Google staff, is where the effect is already visible, with leavers starting in August, according to people familiar with the matter. The package pays one month's salary per year of service, capped at 12 months, and DeepMind and Google Cloud appear excluded.
Latest updates
Google Offers Voluntary Buyouts to Employees in Five Countries
Google has expanded a voluntary buyout programme to five countries, giving some employees the option to leave with a severance package. The company is seeking to keep spending under control while directing more money into artificial intelligence, according to India Today. The programme's expansion follows a similar offer announced by Microsoft. Reporting attributed to Reuters says the programme now covers employees in five countries. The exact number of eligible employees was not confirmed in the available coverage.