Google offers buyout option to employees to reduce workforce

Google has extended buyout offers to employees across various divisions on Tuesday, including those in knowledge and information, central engineering, marketing, research, and communications teams, according to CNBC.

The knowledge and information unit, or K&I, encompasses Google’s search, ads, and commerce sectors. This latest buyout initiative is part of the company’s ongoing efforts to decrease its workforce, following the layoff of 12,000 employees earlier in 2023.

The number of employees affected by this recent round of buyouts could not be verified. Previously, The Information reported that buyout offers were made to workers in the search and ads division.

“Earlier this year, some of our teams introduced a voluntary exit program with severance for US-based Googlers, and several more are now offering the program to support our important work ahead,” Google spokesperson Courtenay Mencini told CNBC.

The "voluntary exit program" is available to US-based employees, and some teams are also requiring remote workers living within 50 miles of an office to return to the workplace. The company stated that these workers must follow a hybrid work model “to encourage more in-person collaboration,” the media outlet reported. 

According to a memo reviewed by CNBC, Google executive Nick Fox hopes that passionate Google employees do not take up this opportunity, as the company has “ambitious plans and tons to get done.” 

However, Fox added that “this VEP offers a supportive exit path for those of you who don’t feel aligned with our strategy, don’t feel energised by your work, or are having difficulty meeting the expectations of your role.”
AIM also reported that companies in the US, such as Microsoft, IBM, PwC, Crowdstrike, and other big names, have already laid off thousands of employees across their workforce in the first half of 2025. Notably, Microsoft alone has eliminated 6,000 employees, representing nearly 3% of its workforce.