Google layoffs: Tech giant fires ‘at least 40’ more employees in this division

Google has cut at least 40 jobs in its news division, according to a report by CNBC. The cuts come as the tech giant is downsizing in recent months citing economic necessity.

“We’re deeply committed to a vibrant information ecosystem, and news is a part of that long-term investment,” a Google spokesperson was quoted by CNBC. “We’ve made some internal changes to streamline our organization. A small number of employees were impacted. We’re supporting everyone with a transition period, outplacement services and severance as they look for new opportunities at Google and beyond.”

The news division cuts are reportedly part of a broader restructuring move at Google, which has also seen layoffs in other areas such as recruiting and cloud computing.

Google’s news division is responsible for a variety of products and services, including Google News, Google News Showcase, and YouTube News. The news division cuts come at a particularly sensitive time for online platforms and publishers that are facing increasing pressure from governments and regulators to provide the public with accurate information and combat the spread of misinformation.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai in January this year announced 12,000 job cuts due to “difficult economic cycles.”

“I am confident about the huge opportunity in front of us thanks to the strength of our mission, the value of our products and services, and our early investments in AI. To fully capture it, we’ll need to make tough choices. So, we’ve undertaken a rigorous review across product areas and functions to ensure that our people and roles are aligned with our highest priorities as a company. The roles we’re eliminating reflect the outcome of that review. They cut across Alphabet, product areas, functions, levels and regions,” he wrote in a blog post.