According to Business Insider, Google CEO Sundar Pichai recently revealed at an all-hands meeting that the company has cut 10% of management positions, including directors and vice presidents. The company is cutting employees and narrowing its focus as AI competition intensifies from rivals such as OpenAI and its search dominance is threatened. (Also read: How Google Maps helped solve a case and arrest a murderer a year ago)
Google cuts management positions
This isn’t the first time the tech giant has done this. In fact, they have been working to streamline their operations for the past two years.
There are three specific roles that saw a 10% reduction this year. These included managers, directors and vice presidents, the report said.
Some of these roles have been changed to non-management positions, while others have been eliminated entirely, the report quoted a Google spokesperson as saying.
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The layoff saga began in 2022, when Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced plans to improve the company’s efficiency by 20%. Last year’s restructuring saw major job cuts affecting more than 12,000 employees.
Pichai focuses on “Google-likeness”
Business Insider reports that during the meeting, technology leaders also focused on clarifying what it means to be “Google-like” and asked employees to focus more on the latest Google updates. He explained that the term used to refer to the characteristics that made a person a good fit for a company, but it has become too vague.
But Pichai simplified the concept and focused on key principles such as mission-driven work, innovation and teamwork. He spoke about the importance of prioritizing the company’s mission, creating products that work, taking bold risks, maintaining a rigorous attitude, and fostering a collaborative work environment.
Google’s recent reorganization is part of a larger trend in the technology industry to adapt to rapidly growing AI-driven scenarios. Companies like Amazon are also streamlining their operations by eliminating middle management and empowering individual contributors.
