Google offers voluntary buyouts to UK employees

"Google is offering voluntary buyouts for employees in its UK offices, Business Insider has learned. An email went out to UK staff this week offering them a voluntary exit package, according to two people familiar with the matter and confirmed by a Google spokesperson. It's unclear which UK organizations the offers went to, or how many buyouts were offered. Google did not respond when asked for comment about this."

""Earlier this year, some of our US teams introduced a voluntary exit programme with severance for U.S.-based Googlers, and we are now also offering the programme in the UK to support our important work ahead," the Google spokesperson said. "We are committed to investment in the UK and continue to hire for critical roles and important projects aligned with our company priorities to ensure we can deliver on the opportunity that AI offers the UK economy," they added."

"The voluntary buyouts are the latest example of Big Tech firms finding ways to reduce head count this year to become more efficient, flatten management structures, and lean into AI. Companies such as Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft have announced layoffs, while Microsoft has also offered some employees money to leave. The exact package being offered by Google in the UK would depend on how long the employee had worked at the company, staff were told."

Google has offered voluntary exit packages to employees in its UK offices, with an internal email notifying staff of the programme. The company said similar voluntary exit programmes were introduced earlier this year for some U.S. teams and that the UK offering aims to support upcoming priorities. Google stated it remains committed to investing in the UK and continues to hire for critical roles and projects tied to AI. The buyouts reflect a broader Big Tech trend to reduce head count, flatten management, and reorient around AI. Package amounts depend on employee tenure, and the number of offers is unclear.

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