Google offers buyouts to employees who are not ‘deeply engaged’

Google confirmed on Thursday that it has rolled a “voluntary exit” program for certain employees in its product teams that may not be in line with the division’s goals or are struggling with hybrid work requirements or their roles.

“There is tremendous momentum on this team, and with so much important work ahead, we want everyone to be deeply committed to our mission and focus on building amazing products with speed and efficiency,” Google said in a statement to Chronicle.

The Buyout offer follows last year’s merger of Google’s Pixel -Hardware and Android Software Departments that form the group New Platforms & Devices. The department includes teams working on Android, Pixel, Chrome, Google Photos, Google One, Fitbit, Nest and Related Products.

Rick Osterloh, Google’s senior vice president, conveyed the details of a memo to the employees.

The voluntary exit program is available to US-based employees in the Platforms & Devices Division. However, this does not apply to employees in other Google departments such as search or AI, nor does it affect international teams.

The offer is part of Google’s ongoing efforts to streamline its workforce after integrating its hardware and software teams. Osterloh noted that the employees had asked about the possibility of voluntary outputs after the merger.

“We wanted to offer this program in advance and turn to feedback from previous layoffs where we did not give an opportunity to leave willingly,” wrote Osterloh in the note, which first reported by 9to5Google.

Employees participating will receive a severance package, although further details of the conditions have not been revealed.

Google emphasized that the Buyout offer is not tied to immediate changes in the product road schedule, signaling that there are no planned shifts in priorities for the division’s key products. There is no indication that this feature signalizes another round of mass developments.

However, CEO Sundar Pichai previously stated that the company would continue to trim its workforce in accordance with its developing goals.