US tech major Google is learnt to have sacked 453 employees from various departments in India on late Thursday night, citing sources privy to the development, Businessline reported. Sources have told the publication that a mail was sent out by Sanjay Gupta, country head and vice president, Google India, to the affected employees.
Last month, Alphabet Inc, the parent firm of Google, announced the layoff of 12,000 employees or 6 per cent of its total headcount globally.
Sundar Pichai, chief executive officer (CEO) of Google, had also mailed the employees stating that he takes “full responsibility for the decisions that led us here." "We’ve already sent a separate email to employees in the US who are affected. In other countries, this process will take longer due to local laws and practices," he had said.
Pichai also said the company had undertaken a “rigorous review across product areas and functions” to ensure that people and roles are aligned with the company’s highest priorities.
“The roles we’re eliminating reflect the outcome of that review. They cut across Alphabet, product areas, functions, levels and regions,” he wrote in the mail.
Earlier in January, Microsoft announced 10,000 job cuts or nearly 5 per cent of its workforce. Amazon also is cutting 18,000 jobs. Facebook’s parent Meta also said it is trimming 11,000 positions across the world.
Meanwhile, Apple, the only Big Tech firm that has avoided mass layoffs to date, has reportedly started laying off third-party contractors. The New York Post reported, citing people with direct knowledge, that the iPhone maker has started to cut ties with hundreds of contractors quietly.
"Instead of waiting for contracts that are typically renewed every 12 to 15 months to expire, Apple is firing contractors outright," said the report, citing sources. Apple did not comment on the report. According to the report, firing contractors is a move to cut costs.