Google has laid off hundreds of employees from its Platforms and Devices unit, continuing a trend of restructuring and “streamlining” operations that has become common across Big Tech. The layoffs, which occurred on April 10, 2025, affected teams working on Android, Pixel, and Chrome browser products, according to a report by The Information.
This downsizing follows Google’s ongoing strategy to merge and reconfigure its internal divisions in pursuit of faster innovation and cost-efficiency. The layoffs come roughly a year after the company merged its Android OS and hardware (Pixel) teams, forming a combined Platform and Devices division under Senior Vice President Rick Osterloh. The merger, intended to improve coordination between software and hardware development, appears to have resulted in significant redundancies.
Google’s statement said the company is “becoming more nimble and operating more effectively,” suggesting that the cuts are designed to accelerate product development and innovation—particularly in AI. A large part of Google’s recent focus has been its Gemini generative AI platform, which leadership has prioritized as a cornerstone of its future strategy.
These layoffs are also not the first wave. Google offered voluntary exit programs earlier in 2025, which initially targeted U.S.-based employees working on Android Auto, Android TV, Wear OS, and Android XR, among others. In February, this offer was extended to the People Operations team.
Despite these cutbacks, Google’s total workforce remains substantial, with about 180,000 employees. This follows a previous round of layoffs in 2023, when the company eliminated approximately 12,000 positions—or 6% of its global workforce.
Google’s restructuring mirrors similar moves from other tech giants like Meta, which has also undergone multiple rounds of layoffs in the name of “efficiency” and AI development. As tech companies race to dominate the generative AI space, they are simultaneously shedding headcount from long-standing divisions once deemed essential.
Editor’s Note: A Few Thoughts From the Cynical Side of the Internet
What’s happening here isn’t a mystery—it’s a bloodletting disguised as “progress.” Merging massive teams and then acting surprised when you “discover redundancies” is like throwing a dozen chairs off the Titanic and calling it weight reduction.
“Voluntary exit programs”? Cute. That’s just corporate-speak for “we’d really like you to leave so we don’t have to look too mean doing it.”
And all of this is in the name of moving “faster” on AI—because apparently, the world urgently needs slightly sassier chatbots that hallucinate with improved sentence structure. Let’s be real: they’re not streamlining for efficiency. They’re playing musical chairs with job titles while chasing investor serotonin.
One more time for the people in the back: Google’s strategy is basically combine, confuse, cut, and then release a press statement filled with warm buzzwords like “nimble” and “effective,” while quietly ushering thousands of people out the back door.
But hey—at least Gemini is doing great, right?