Google is offering a voluntary exit program for US employees working in its Platforms & Devices organization, which oversees key products including Android, Pixel, Chrome, and Nest. The announcement came through an internal memo from Senior Vice President Rick Osterloh, as first reported by 9to5Google.
The program offers severance packages to employees who choose to leave the division, following last year’s merger of Google’s hardware and software teams. “The Platforms & Devices team is offering a voluntary exit program that provides US-based Googlers working on this team the ability to voluntarily leave the company with a severance package,” a Google spokesperson confirmed.
The announcement has raised concerns among some employees about potential future layoffs, particularly given Google’s recent history of workforce reductions. The company had previously faced criticism for not offering voluntary exit options before past layoffs, which included 12,000 workers in 2023 followed by multiple rounds of cuts in 2024.