Date:
April 30, 2024
Google has laid off employees from multiple teams in the past several days. In its latest layoff, it fired the entire Python team to reduce resource costs.
Google has been making strict moves as part of its business restructuring strategy. In its ongoing efforts to streamline operations and reduce resource costs, Google has recently laid off employees from multiple teams. The most significant cut came with the termination of the entire Python team, a strategic move in the company's cost reduction strategy. The tech giant plans to reduce its dependency on US labor due to the high resource costs. Instead, the company will set up a new team in Munich, Germany, with a much lower budget without compromising capabilities.
A Social.coop post on Mastodon reportedly received comments from one of Google's former employees, who directly worked on the Python team. The employee expressed high disappointment with the layoff and said that their two-decade-long career unexpectedly stopped. They also expressed that this job was the best they had, which led them to stay for over 20 years, but the sudden removal has left them in the open without anywhere to go.
Another employee expressed sheer disappointment at witnessing the entire team, including the manager, get laid off and replaced by remote employees from abroad. Contrary to the huge hype, the entire Python team comprised less than 10 team members. The people of this tiny team used to handle most parts of Google’s Python ecosystem and the stability of the Python network on Google. They also developed a type-checker and updated it with thousands of third-party packages.
The recent layoff comes after Google cut staff members abruptly from the real estate and finance departments. Google’s Finance Chief Officer, Ruth Porat, informed employees via mail that the company would continue with its wider restructuring efforts. It also mentioned that the attempts are focused on prioritizing Bangalore, Mexico City, and Dublin, owing to the cost-reduction benefits. Since January, Google has laid off hundreds of employees over multiple layoff rounds, which included engineering, hardware, AI, and Google Assistant teams.
