Google lays off around 200 'Core' employees and will replace them with workers in India & Mexico

The Core unit consists of people across Google's Python developer, technical infrastructure, and security foundation teams.

Google
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Each week that goes by seems to bring with it news of more layoffs. The latest company that is restructuring positions is Google, which will lay off 200 employees from its Core units and replace these positions with workers from other key markets, namely India and Mexico.

On May 1, 2024, Jennifer Elias of CNBC reported that Google will lay off 200 employees from its Core unit, which is responsible for building the company’s technical foundation. Elias notes that the Core teams cover a lot of different sectors including its Python developer team, technical infrastructure, security foundation, and more.

A dinosaur skull on Google campus with a Google keychain in its teeth

Source: Google

Asim Husain, vice president of Google Developer Ecosystem, wrote in an email to employees last week that this would be the biggest reduction in his team for the year and that the company intends to maintain its global footprint. Google will fill these vacancies with employees from Bangalore and Mexico City. The company is touting that this is a bid to build teams closer to key markets.

These layoffs with employee positions being shifted to areas where labor is cheaper follows on from Google’s Q1 2024 earnings where it beat EPS and revenue expectations, reported $8 billion in YouTube ad revenue, its stock hit an all-time high, and the company announced its first cash dividend policy.

Elias goes on to note that of the areas where layoffs will occur some are critical to Google’s governance and protected data group. She points out that this particular area will be at the forefront of the regulatory changes that developers of artificial intelligence will need to consider. It will be interesting to see how Google manages to keep ahead of the various AI-focused Acts while these positions are shifted internationally.

Layoffs continue to permeate the technology industry, with Tesla laying off its Supercharger network team and Take-Two reducing its workforce by 5 percent while also shutting Intercept Games and Roll7. In a time where companies are hitting revenue targets, it’s disappointing to see the employees that got them there being the first on the chopping block.

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From The Chatty
    • reply
      May 1, 2024 7:24 PM

      Need more visas though. Google’s strategy is so transparent

      • reply
        May 1, 2024 7:30 PM

        Why do you need a visa if they work in another country? They’re offshoring to save money.

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          May 1, 2024 9:11 PM

          Was a reference to Google asking for more visa exceptions for AI jobs.

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        May 1, 2024 7:31 PM

        Their CEO feels so clueless. All short term growth but no ideas.

        • reply
          May 1, 2024 11:27 PM

          He worked at McKinsey before Google.

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            May 2, 2024 1:59 AM

            Oh fuck, really? That says it all.

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          May 2, 2024 5:17 AM

          He is, but the blame is on the board, which means it’s on the two founders since they control it. And they’re not going anywhere..

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          May 2, 2024 9:12 AM

          I disagree. The CEO is doing exactly what the founders want him to do. You may disagree with what they are doing, even hate it, but he isn't clueless.

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            May 2, 2024 10:44 AM

            The culture inside the company I heard got really bad due to backwards incentives. I blame him.

    • reply
      May 1, 2024 7:41 PM

      Gotta make those cuts to afford $0.2 / share dividend and $70 B buyback.

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      May 1, 2024 10:29 PM

      I used to work in Core, and a bunch of the people laid off are former colleagues. They are great engineers and I’m angry at Google for doing this to them.

      • reply
        May 1, 2024 10:30 PM

        That really sucks. Doing this as they announce a dividend and another $70 billion buyback is especially shitty.

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          May 1, 2024 11:35 PM

          The beatings will continue until morale improves....

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          May 2, 2024 4:33 AM

          We have tons of cash!!! But none for you.

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          May 2, 2024 6:39 AM

          also after recently insisting you could only do this work from the office and not fully remote

      • reply
        May 2, 2024 1:58 AM

        That sucks man. I can’t see how there won’t be consequences of such a brain drain of key SMEs and their knowledge/experience.

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        May 2, 2024 5:16 AM

        feek FAANG

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        May 2, 2024 5:20 AM

        Same, I know several people who were laid off and they were a pleasure to work with. It’s hard to understate the value of being able to work with strong engineers, and to learn from them.

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      May 2, 2024 5:26 AM

      I am in Core, this impacted my team in a huge way :( I am still employed, but ugh

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        May 2, 2024 7:54 AM

        Sorry dude :( Glad you didn’t get cut though

      • reply
        May 2, 2024 9:32 AM

        Layoffs feel shitty for everyone imapcted and those who are adjacent to them. Survivor's guilt is real, as is the questioning of strategy when they're purposefully sending good people out for short-term savings.

    • reply
      May 2, 2024 8:55 AM

      [deleted]

    • reply
      May 2, 2024 10:30 AM

      What was the last great thing Google actually did?
      They just have a hard time using all that ad money on good projects, so they are like, we will just transfer all that money to ourselves!

      • reply
        May 2, 2024 10:41 AM

        Gmail notifier

      • reply
        May 2, 2024 11:12 AM

        Maps. And even that kinda sucks now.

        • reply
          May 2, 2024 11:32 AM

          More than Kinda. On mobile they try to obscure as much as the map as possible with shit no one fucking cares about.

      • reply
        May 2, 2024 11:23 AM

        Their Chromecast TV device is one of the few things that kept some faith in the company. Small, affordable, easy enough for my family members to use. It was exactly what it needed to be and helped me migrate some family and friends off cable TV.

        I was hoping that their new tablet would signal a return to competence for their hardware division but alas they just dont get it and appear increasingly schizo. So yeah, there are cracks in Google's foundation. Enshitification seems to be creeping in everywhere.

      • reply
        May 2, 2024 11:24 AM

        Wave.

Hello, Meet Lola