Google has cut about 200 staff in global business unit: The Information

(Reuters) -Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL)-owned Google on Tuesday cut about 200 jobs across its global business unit, which is responsible for sales and partnerships, The Information reported on Wednesday, citing a person with knowledge of the situation.

Big Tech players have been redirecting spending towards data centers and AI development, while scaling back investments in other areas.

The company told Reuters in a statement that it was making a small number of changes across teams “to drive greater collaboration and expand our ability to quickly and effectively serve our customers.”

The Information reported last month that Google had laid off hundreds of employees in its platforms and devices unit, which houses the Android platform, Pixel phones and the Chrome browser among other applications.

In January 2023, Google-parent Alphabet announced plans to cut 12,000 jobs, or 6% of its global workforce. It had 183,323 employees as of December 31, 2024, according to a filing in February.

Among other major job cuts, Facebook-parent Meta (META) laid off about 5% of its “lowest performers” in January, while pushing ahead with the expedited hiring of machine learning engineers.

Microsoft (MSFT) also trimmed 650 jobs in its Xbox unit in September. Amazon laid off employees in several units, including communications, while Apple eliminated about 100 roles in its digital services group last year, according to media reports.

(Reporting by Kanjyik Ghosh and Gnaneshwar Rajan in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D’Silva)