New York: Google, the tech giant known for its innovation and expansive workforce, has recently implemented layoffs, with the Python section being the latest casualty. The decision to lay off the entire Python team is part of Google’s strategy to reduce costs by hiring less expensive labor outside the United States, as reported by the Free Press Journal.
According to the report, Google is planning to establish a new team in Munich, Germany, which would serve as a source of “cheaper” labor compared to its operations in the United States.
The news of the layoffs has sparked disappointment and frustration among former employees. A post on Mastodon by Social.coop received comments from an ex-member of the Google Python team expressing dismay over the layoffs. The employee, who had dedicated two decades to Google, described it as the best job ever and criticized the company for its decision. Another employee lamented the pain of witnessing their entire team, including the manager, being laid off and replaced with remote workers from abroad.
The US Python team, comprising less than ten members, played a crucial role in managing various aspects of Google’s Python ecosystem. They were responsible for ensuring the stability of Python at Google, updating it with thousands of third-party packages, and developing a type-checker. This move comes in the wake of previous layoffs in Google’s real estate and finance departments.
Google’s finance chief, Ruth Porat, informed employees via email that the company is undergoing wider restructuring efforts, with a focus on strengthening its presence in Bangalore, Mexico City, and Dublin.
This recent round of layoffs follows Google’s decision to let go of hundreds of workers across multiple teams in January, affecting its engineering, hardware, and assistant teams.