Staffers in numerous countries receive buyout offers from Google
Alphabet’s Google has broadened its employee buyout offers to multiple countries this year as it seeks to control escalating costs in the context of substantial investments in artificial intelligence. The search engine company confirmed that it initiated voluntary exit packages in June for select employees in Canada, France, Germany, Japan, and Switzerland. “In 2025, some of our teams introduced a voluntary exit program with severance,” a Google spokesperson said in a statement. “This past summer, in June, we expanded this program globally in a few countries to support our important work ahead.”
The decision occurs in the context of escalating expenditures on AI, which have caused concern among investors and negatively impacted Alphabet’s stock valuation. Microsoft last week extended voluntary buyouts to 60,000 employees as part of its strategy to manage expenses. Alphabet’s workforce has expanded consistently in recent quarters; however, the company has aimed to reallocate resources towards its priority sectors. The most recent acquisitions come in the wake of voluntary exit programs that have been extended to employees in certain divisions across the US and Britain since the previous year. Executives have characterised the programme as an alternative for employees who no longer perceive alignment with the company’s pace or strategic direction.
In at least one instance, the company proceeded with its voluntary offers to a division, subsequently resulting in a series of layoffs. Anat Ashkenazi has consistently emphasised the significance of AI and cloud computing as pivotal hiring priorities during quarterly earnings presentations. Employees in Google Cloud and the AI unit DeepMind have not been included in previous buyout offers. The most recent expansion seems to adhere to the established pattern. In Switzerland, where Google employs approximately 5,000 individuals and maintains a significant engineering hub in Zurich, three sources familiar with the situation indicated that the program encompassed various divisions, yet excluded DeepMind.
Employees commenced their departures in August following Google’s provision of voluntary exit packages in the country, according to sources. Google announced the packages in mid-June and provided responses by mid-July to employees who applied, they stated. Employees who accepted were compensated with one month’s salary for each year of service, capped at a maximum of 12 months. One individual indicated that a minimum of four employees within a team of approximately 50 had accepted the offer. In 2023, Google executed a reduction in workforce, resulting in the dismissal of over 200 employees in Switzerland. This decision incited protests among staff and led to a walkout.
