Google Rolls Out Voluntary Buyout Program to Employees in Five Countries, Excluding AI and Cloud Divisions
nashnova research
Google expanded its voluntary-exit buyout program in June to Canada, France, Germany, Japan, and Switzerland, but Cloud and DeepMind staff are excluded — the money is flowing toward AI, and everything else is being told to slim down.
Who is covered — and who is not?
Staff across all five countries may apply, but Google Cloud and DeepMind — Google's AI research arm — are explicitly excluded.
This means → Google is paying people to leave non-core units so it can redirect savings toward its AI and cloud bets.
CFO Anat Ashkenazi has repeatedly flagged AI and cloud as the company's top hiring priorities on quarterly earnings calls.
What do the Swiss terms look like?
Google employs roughly 5,000 people in Switzerland, where it runs a major engineering hub. Multiple departments are included in the buyout.
Compensation: one month's pay per year of service, capped at 12 months. Staff had until mid-July to apply; departures begin in August.
Reuters, citing three people familiar with the matter, reported that at least 4 out of roughly 50 people in one team accepted. Google has not disclosed the total take-up.
Could "voluntary" turn into "mandatory"?
Executives described the program as "an option for employees who no longer feel aligned with the company's pace or direction."
But Google has previously followed up a voluntary buyout in at least one division with a round of forced layoffs.
In plain terms = "voluntary" is sometimes just the opening move — compulsory cuts may follow, and that is the key question the market is watching.
Is Google the only one doing this?
No. Microsoft offered buyouts to roughly 60,000 employees last week, also citing cost control.
This reflects an industry-wide signal: big tech firms are trimming headcount in non-AI units simultaneously, funneling resources into the AI race.
Google cut over 200 jobs in Switzerland in 2023, triggering staff protests and a walkout. The voluntary framing this time is partly aimed at reducing internal friction.
市场有风险，内容仅供研究参考，不构成投资建议。