According to a CNBC report, Google has fired more than 100 employees in design-related roles. The cuts made earlier this week impacted staff on the Cloud division's Quantitative User Experience Survey and Platform and Service Experience teams, as well as other divisions.
These roles are known to analyse user behaviors through data, research, and research to guide product design. The report added that several cloud design teams have fallen by almost half, and many unemployment has been hit by US-based employees. Some affected workers have been given until early December to find alternative roles within Google.
Focus shifts to artificial intelligence
The latest job cuts are part of Google's continuous restructuring, and are becoming more intense on artificial intelligence. The company is increasing its investment in AI infrastructure, shifting resources from a specific role to areas it considers more important to growth.
Last month, Wired reported that more than 200 contractors working on AI tools such as Gemini and AI overviews have also been fired. The report highlighted concerns about low wages among workers, job insecurity and heightened tensions between staff and management. Some employees suggested that job cuts were related to protests against working conditions.
Employment will be reduced across multiple sectors
Design team layoffs are not isolated movements. Earlier this year, Google cut down on staff in its cloud unit and stated that changes are needed to ensure long-term success by focusing on areas that are important to our business.
The company also cut down on its global business unit and its platform and devices division, which functions in hardware and software.
In a comment to Reuters, Google said it is making “small changes” across the team to improve collaboration and customer service. However, these changes have impacted a wide range of sectors. Since the beginning of 2025, voluntary exit packages have been offered to HR, hardware, search, advertising, marketing, finance, and commercial workers.
Reducing middle managers
Google has also reduced its management levels. Reports say the company has reduced the number of middle managers by more than a third. It is especially directing small teams.
The restructuring reflects the company's strategy to streamline operations and speed up decision-making while moving resources towards AI development.
Despite the layoffs, Google remains one of the largest employers in the tech sector. Regulatory submissions from February showed that the company had employed 183,323 people as of December 2024.
Recent recruitment is part of a broader trend in the technology industry, with several companies cutting jobs to reduce costs and reallocate resources to artificial intelligence and automation.
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