Google has laid off hundreds of employees in its Platforms and Devices division, a move that affects key teams responsible for Android, Pixel smartphones, and the Chrome browser. The latest round of job cuts, reported by The Information and confirmed by the company, is part of ongoing efforts to streamline operations under Alphabet’s broader restructuring agenda.
The layoffs come months after Google introduced a voluntary exit program in January 2025 for employees in the same division. A company spokesperson said the job reductions were a result of last year’s merger of the Platforms and Devices teams, adding that the company is aiming to become more agile and effective.
“Since combining the Platforms and Devices teams last year, we’ve focused on becoming more nimble and operating more effectively,” the spokesperson said. “This included making some job reductions in addition to the voluntary exit program that we offered in January.”
The affected division employs more than 25,000 staff who work on key Google products such as Android, Chrome, Pixel, and Fitbit.
These latest cuts follow closely on the heels of a separate layoff at YouTube, which saw 100 employees across engineering, services, and the Google Assistant team lose their jobs. Google has also recently trimmed roles in its hardware, digital assistant, and engineering units.
CEO Sundar Pichai has warned employees to expect further job cuts as the company continues to implement cost-cutting measures. Google’s core search business is facing rising competition from AI-powered rivals like Microsoft and OpenAI, prompting a reevaluation of priorities and expenditures.
The voluntary buyout program introduced earlier this year closed in February and offered U.S.-based employees the option to leave with severance packages. It targeted those whose professional goals no longer aligned with the unit’s evolving direction.
Alphabet’s restructuring is not new. In January 2023, the tech giant announced plans to cut 12,000 jobs—around 6 percent of its global workforce—as it faced declining ad revenues and shifting post-pandemic economic conditions.
The trend of tech layoffs has intensified in 2025. According to layoff tracking site Layoffs.fyi, more than 27,000 tech workers have already been affected this year, with February alone accounting for over 16,000 job losses. Analysts expect the wave of downsizing to persist, as companies adjust to economic uncertainty and the rising costs of investing in artificial intelligence.
