Google has joined the ranks of prominent tech companies that have recently announced layoffs, as it announced plans to cut 12,000 jobs globally. This follows similar actions taken by companies such as Twitter, Salesforce, Amazon, Microsoft and others as they strive to streamline their operations amid economic uncertainty.
The decision, as stated by CEO Sundar Pichai, is a result of the company’s hiring practices during the pandemic not aligning with the current economic situation. Industry experts argue that the hiring surge by big tech companies during the pandemic resulted in an overstaffed workforce and that the recent layoffs are a measure to balance out the economy.
The Alphabet Workers Union has criticized the decision as unacceptable. “In one email Sundar Pichai has taken away the livelihoods of thousands of workers,” Parul Koul, executive chair of the union, said in a statement. “This is egregious and unacceptable behavior by a company that made $17 billion dollars in profit last quarter alone.” The layoffs come at a time when the technology industry is facing a similar trend as companies resort to downsizing in order to streamline their operations.
