Google Expands Voluntary Buyout Programme to Five Countries Amid Heavy Spending on Artificial Intelligence

Amid the numerous tech layoffs happening across the globe, comes news about Google that has reportedly extended its voluntary exit programme to more countries this year. While there are no confirmed details about how many employees have voluntarily signed up for it, it has now been reported that Google had expanded its voluntary buyout offers in June. The news comes shortly after software giant Microsoft offered voluntary exit buyouts to about 60,000 employees primarily in the US, UK, India and Canada. More recently, Canva trimmed down 22 percent of its workforce, which affects 1,271 employees across several countries.

Google Expands Voluntary Buyout Programme to Five Countries

Google, according to a report by Reuters, has expanded its employee buyout offers to more countries this year. The source claims that Google approached employees in Canada, France, Germany, Japan ​and Switzerland in June asking them to voluntarily sign up for its exit programme. The source also claims that it could not determine how many employees have opted in since then.

The voluntary exit programme reportedly goes back as far as 2025 in which some teams were introduced to the buyouts with severance. Earlier this year in February, Google reportedly offered similar voluntary exit packages to US-based employees within its Global Business Organisation (GBO) division. This division included those from solutions, sales and corporate development.

With Google's continued focus on artificial intelligence (AI), it's no surprise that the search giant has been continuously hiring resources in cloud computing and AI. The report also mentions how Google's buyout programme included many divisions, but excluded DeepMind AI, a division that has been “shielded” from any of the current year's layoffs.

At Google's major engineering hub in Zurich, Switzerland, those familiar with the programme told Reuters that at least four members from a team of 50 had accepted the buyout offer. In another reported instance, the voluntary buyout offers in a particular division were followed by layoffs. The latest round of layoffs at Google comes amidst news of focussed hiring for cloud and AI, and increased spending on AI. Back in 2023 Google had mass laid off 12,000 jobs, which was approximately 6 percent of its workforce back then.

Microsoft announced voluntary exit offers for employees across the globe last month. A previous report pointed out that about 60,000 employees from the software giant's workforce were laid off. Microsoft said that its voluntary exit offers reflects how the company is evolving its “approach to change” by providing flexibility and more ways for employees to shape their next chapter.