I'd be eager to know if these layoffs are cover for firing "inconvenient" employees. Google's fired Timnit Gebru, labor organizers, and recently folks who protested a contract with the Israeli Defense Forces. It's kind of their thing at this point.
Although I work for Google I don't have any hidden insights. I can think of some potential reasons but it's probably best for me to refrain from speculating about why layoffs have been handled they way they've been :)
They're not getting laid off by a startup now they're getting laid off by Google. They likely get a severance. In CA at least if they're laying off a significant portion it's cosidered a plant closing which should give everyone about 6 months severance.
I have no context on what's happening in this particular case, but Google usually indeed does not layoff straight up: teams get "defragged" and the people working on them have some time to try to find new roles.
That's an interesting observation and something I somewhat suspect myself.
Google's long been criticised for byzantine and ineffective hiring and ranking processes. The thought occurs that perhaps management have decided that unbiased random staff reductions are the least-harmful way to go about this.
The problem remains that under circumstances of layoffs, those with options to do so are still more likely to leave, resulting in a net negative selection against the most effective and productive workers. (Or at least those who can make a case for appearing to be same.)
I'm not utterly convinced of the above, though it's a working hypothesis and will be interesting to see how it plays out over time.
Yes, this is not a real story. Pure speculation. No real sources.
IMO as a Google employee, I don’t see layoffs happening. The company has started hiring again. My coworkers are flooded with interviews. We’re still having holiday parties and other “fun” spending seems to have returned. I have no inside knowledge, that’s just my own personal observation.
There’s an assumption made often on HackerNews and elsewhere in tech circles that Google is special and not like other companies. These layoffs show that this is not true. Google is a large corporation, like many others.
There’s no grand conspiracy. Nothing unusual is going on. Layoffs can seem random. They’re often done to appease investors or to clean house or both. A lot of Googlers and ex Googlers seem to be reeling from this, but it’s really just another day in corporate America.
Generally yes, in this mass layoff access was just removed. I don't think Google's 'culture' will ever be the same. Intel folks have known they were getting laid off for months now. Which is helpful whether they're choosing to stay or leave.
From a LinkedIn post that I assume this author sourced for their opinion:
Things Intel did this time around, that weren't done last time, nor by Google/MSFT:
* Advance notice it was coming to all employees.
* The goal was budget reduce, so large business units had some ability to reduce (not eliminate) layoffs with extreme cost-cutting measures. Point is, there was a clear stated goal besides elimination of jobs.
* Per public sources, the CEO is taking a 25% pay cut, leadership team 15%, etc, with the goal of reducing that number of people laid off.
* Some Intel business groups gave people a chance to 'sign up' for voluntary separation.
* Personally told by my manager I was impacted.
* 1-2 weeks to wrap up my work.
* Then 9 weeks(!!!) paid employee of Intel for the sole purpose of finding a new opportunity inside or outside Intel.
This is all on top of the severance, which is the lone similarity with the other big tech layoffs.
AFAIK laid off Googlers have the option of finding a role in another team instead of leaving the company entirely. So I am sure there are some who have taken advantage of that, but I wouldn't describe that as "hiring back the employees it laid off recently". In any case I don't think that can be cast into any general observation about the state of the industry.
There seems to be an assumption people will interview for their own job again at the end of the severance period.
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