Overview
- At a recent all-hands, VP Brian Welle said Google now has 35% fewer managers who oversee teams of three people or fewer compared with a year ago.
- Many affected managers remained at the company by moving into individual contributor roles rather than exiting.
- Voluntary Exit Program offers have been made in 10 product areas, with chief people officer Fiona Cicconi reporting 3% to 5% uptake in eligible groups such as search, marketing, hardware, and people operations.
- CEO Sundar Pichai emphasized operating more efficiently instead of growing headcount and has pushed wider use of AI tools, citing an estimated 10% productivity gain for engineers.
- The managerial flattening follows earlier layoffs and targeted reductions across units in 2023–2025 and mirrors similar streamlining at Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, and Intel.