Google lays off hundreds of employees overnight

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (KRON) — Google is laying off hundreds of employees worldwide, with many of the eliminated positions coming from its core engineering departments.

The tech giant told NewsNation affiliate KRON4 Thursday that these changes come as it continues to cut costs and invest in its biggest priorities, which have been said to be artificial intelligence.

News of the layoff broke overnight when hundreds of Google’s employees lost corporate access and then received notice that their roles had been eliminated completely.

Many of those laid off are said to be part of its core engineering departments that focus on products like the Pixel phone, Fitbit watches and Nest thermostats, among others.

Google told NewsNation affiliate KRON4 these layoffs are part of its normal course of business and departments may continue to make changes throughout this year as they did in 2023.

Laid-off employees will be able to apply for open roles across the company and be offered severance pay, Google said.

Earlier this week, Amazon laid off hundreds of workers similar to what we saw last year as these tech giants continue to try and cut costs.