Ever had any doubt, the simplest answer would be “Just google it.” Today, many of Alphabet’s (Google’s parent company) employees who made this possible are laid off. Not just one or two, but 12,000 employees, which is 6% of their global workforce have unfortunately lost their jobs. In the US, the employees have been noticed of it, but in other countries, the company is slowly proceeding as per the local practices.
Though it is horrible that they are being fired, we must applaud the fact that the company is at least supporting them in many ways despite the difficult news. In the message to the employees by the CEO of Google and Alphabet, Mr. Sundar Pichai mentioned the things that will be provided to employees after being fired. The ex-employees will have benefits some of which include:
- Employees will be paid during the full notification period
- 2022 bonuses and remaining vacation time will be paid
- Will be offered 6 months of healthcare, job placement services, and immigration support for those affected.
- Outside the US, employees will be supported in line with local practices
It is clear that many have been terminated but there’s another mystery to the story: why is Alphabet doing this? As clearly explained in the letter to employees by Sundar Pichai, the company is trying to bring in AI. It seems that the inevitable fear of AI replacing humans is sadly coming true.
Not only that, but Alphabet has also stated that due to concerns about a broader economic slowdown, they are trying to reduce their workforce after a hiring spree during the pandemic since there has been a huge hiring spree in order to cope with the enormous demand.
Shockingly, Google is not the only company laying off its employees. In fact, it is one of the latest companies to join the list of IT giants following the job cut trend. In similarity and as recently discovered, Microsoft will also lay off 10,000 employees. As the trend is quite evident, this brings us to the real question-why are top companies firing employees? Does the introduction of AI reason apply to all of them? Or is it somehow the post- covid effect? Are companies preparing for economic situations such as the pasta-bowl recession? According to the economic times, cost-cutting, workforce reduction, relocation, buyouts, and mergers are the main causes of layoffs, which most companies seem to agree to.
The reasons are there and the effects of post-covid are clearly seen. Maybe the actions companies are taking are a result of the companies preparing for the future, but it is also time for the employees to prepare for such hits despite the impossibility of foreseeing such things. Let us hope that the job cuts do not affect the ex-employees too much and help companies in their decisions and actions.
The job cuts began in 2022 and are still continuing in 2023, so let’s hope for the employees out there that this pattern will not continue. At the same time, the companies should also benefit equally. The world should hopefully turn out to be in a better economic condition after such big news.
