Google has offered buyouts to thousands of employees across various divisions, including its knowledge and information, central engineering, and marketing units. The move is part of the company’s effort to reduce headcount, which it has continued to do since laying off 12,000 employees in 2023.
The voluntary exit program applies to U.S.-based employees and offers severance packages. Some teams are also mandating office returns for remote workers who live within 50 miles of an office, with a hybrid work schedule expected.
Google’s knowledge and information unit, which houses its search, ads, and commerce divisions, is among the units affected. The company has approximately 20,000 employees in this unit alone.
The buyouts come after finance chief Anat Ashkenazi said that reducing costs would be one of her top priorities. Google is also overhauling an internal learning platform to focus on teaching employees how to use modern AI tools in their work.
This move follows previous buyout offers from other units, including “Platforms and Devices” and People Operations. The company has announced severance packages for mid to senior-level employees who choose the buyouts.
Google’s decision to offer buyouts instead of immediate layoffs comes after facing backlash for its 2023 layoff. Some employees praised the move, but others have expressed concerns about the impact on morale.
Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/06/10/google-buyouts-search-ads-unit.html