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Google offers strategic buyouts to U.S. employees amid culture and performance reset
The buyout offers are being extended to teams within Knowledge & Information (K&I) which oversees Google Search, Ads and Commerce along with central engineering, marketing and research departments.
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Google is offering voluntary severance packages to select U.S.-based employees across multiple divisions in a quiet effort to recalibrate its workforce and align with evolving business priorities, CNBC-TV18 reported. As per the report, the buyout offers are being extended to teams within Knowledge & Information (K&I) which oversees Google Search, Ads and Commerce along with central engineering, marketing and research departments.
While the exact number of exits has not been disclosed, sources suggest the move is part of a broader shift in how Google manages performance and workplace culture.
In a memo to employees, K&I chief Nick Fox framed the buyouts as a strategic option for those who may no longer be fully engaged. “If you’re disengaged or underperforming, this is your way out,” he wrote, emphasizing that high performers should remain focused, as the company has “ambitious plans and tons to get done.”
This initiative reflects a cultural shift inside the tech giant, which has increasingly favored voluntary exits over mass layoffs following the workforce reductions of early 2023. In recent months, similar offers were extended to employees in Google’s hardware, HR, finance and legal units.
The move also coincides with stricter return-to-office policies. Employees living within 50 miles of a Google office are being encouraged to return to hybrid schedules, a factor reportedly influencing the buyout offers. Some staff see the combination of relocation demands and performance pressure as a signal to move on.
In tandem, Google is cutting internal training budgets, opting to prioritize AI-related upskilling over non-essential programs. The shift is seen as part of the company’s push to streamline operations and focus more aggressively on artificial intelligence, which has become central to Google’s long-term strategy.
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