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

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

Google reportedly started offering voluntary exit packages to employees in June

Written by Sheldon Pinto, Edited by Rohan Pal | Updated: 5 November 2026 12:55 IST

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

Photo Credit: Google

Google has been silently laying off employees across divisions in 2026

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Highlights

Google has expanded its voluntary exit programme to more countries
In one case Google reportedly followed up with a round of layoffs
The programme as per a report appears to exclude Google’s DeepMind unit

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.

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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.

Canva CEO Calls Job Cuts Hardest Moment in Company's 13-Year History

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.

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Further reading: Google, Google AI, DeepMind AI

Sheldon Pinto

Email Sheldon Pinto

Sheldon Pinto is based in Mumbai, and has several years of experience in reviewing smartphones and gadgets. As a Senior Reviewer at Gadgets 360, you will always find him deeply immersed in his reviews, switching from one phone to another. When the battery dies out, Sheldon is always browsing the web for a good sci-fi movie or reading up on cars and bikes. He also loves creating lists of interesting places to eat and travel. Sheldon is available on Twitter at @shellshocd, and you can mail him at ...More