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Tech Layoffs 2025: Google, a division of Alphabet Inc., has laid off several hundred workers from its Platform & Devices division, which includes teams that build Android software, Pixel smartphones, and the Chrome browser, Information reported Friday. The choice is the result of the company’s continued efforts to increase efficiency and agility through restructuring.

Since the platform and device teams merged last year, our goal has been to work in a more efficient and agile way. In addition to the voluntary exit program implemented in January, it also involves the layoff of some employees,” a Google representative told The Information.

The company did not issue an official statement in response to Reuters queries. Similar layoffs at Google’s cloud division were reported by Bloomberg in February, but only affected a small number of teams. The actions are part of Alphabet’s larger cost-cutting initiative, which began in January 2023 when the company announced plans to lay off about 12,000 workers worldwide in massive reductions.

DeepMind's New Leave Policy

Separately, Google’s AI division DeepMind has implemented a unique clause for its UK workers to retain top talent in the face of a growing global AI race. A Business Insider report claims that workers who plan to join a rival AI company are given the option of "garden leave," a one-year paid break during which they are not allowed to work for a competitor.

Customized based on the strategic importance and role of employees, the non-compete agreement gives Google a competitive edge by preventing knowledge transfer to rivals. Workers on plantation leave are still paid in full, but they are not allowed to work for other AI companies.

This action demonstrates how seriously big tech companies like Google are taking the contest for artificial intelligence supremacy, where preserving and protecting intellectual property is becoming more and more important.

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