Google's Mass Layoffs: Hundreds of Jobs Slashed in Engineering, Hardware, and Voice Assistant Teams

Google has laid off hundreds of employees in its hardware, voice assistance, and engineering teams as part of cost-cutting measures, with Amazon also cutting several hundred positions in its Prime Video and MGM Studios unit. Both companies are increasingly focusing on investments in artificial intelligence, with Microsoft taking the lead in the AI arms race. The job cuts follow pledges by Google and its parent company Alphabet to reduce costs, and have been criticized by the Alphabet Workers Union as "needless layoffs." Additionally, Meta and Spotify have also implemented significant job cuts in the past year, while Amazon has cut thousands of jobs after a hiring surge during the pandemic.