A new report (subscription required) says Google has let go of hundreds of employees from its Platforms and Devices division, the team behind major products like Android, Pixel phones and Chrome.
This comes just a few months after the company offered voluntary buyouts in January 2025 as part of a bigger restructuring plan. The Android and Chrome units were placed under Pixel and Devices chief Rick Osterloh in 2024 and the combined group had more than 20,000 employees before the buyouts.
Since combining the Platforms and Devices teams last year, we’ve focused on becoming more nimble and operating more effectively and this included making some job reductions in addition to the voluntary exit program that we offered in January.
– A Google spokesperson, April 2025
At this point, there is no indication that any specific teams or products have been particularly affected. As far as end users are concerned, this move probably won’t cause any noticeable changes.
This isn’t the first round of cuts, though. Google laid off about 6% of its global workforce in 2023. However, even with more job losses since then, the company’s headcount still sits at around 180,000.
Unfortunately, job cuts following team or company mergers have become a common trend. After T-Mobile took over most of US Cellular’s operations, thousands of employees are about to be laid off, with hopes of being rehired later. Verizon also warned of nearly 5,000 possible job losses last year. And it is not just about mergers – AI is playing a role, too. TikTok, for example, replaced hundreds of human roles with AI in 2024.
