Tech giant Google is reportedly making strategic moves to transfer some of its Core job roles from the United States to India, as per internal documents reviewed by CNBC. The company has terminated at least 200 employees from its core teams and is eyeing a relocation of these roles to India and Mexico as part of a broader restructuring initiative.
According to the documents, around 50 of the positions eliminated were in engineering, primarily based at Google’s offices in Sunnyvale, California. The core unit oversees the technical foundation behind Google’s flagship products and is crucial for ensuring user safety online. Roles within these core teams include Python developers, technical infrastructure specialists, security foundation experts, app platform developers, core developers, and various engineering positions.
The reported layoffs have also affected the governance and protected data groups within the company. Google has confirmed these developments to CNBC, stating that affected employees will have the opportunity to apply for open roles within Google and access outplacement services.
A Google spokesperson explained, “As we’ve said, we’re responsibly investing in our company’s biggest priorities and the significant opportunities ahead… A number of our teams made changes to become more efficient and work better, remove layers, and align their resources to their biggest product priorities.”
The decision to shift jobs to India is believed to be driven by a combination of factors, including cost-cutting measures, operational streamlining, advancements in AI-led automation, and regulatory challenges. While the number of jobs being relocated to India might be relatively small, this move underscores India’s growing significance as a key base for Google’s global operations. The new hires in India are expected to handle critical aspects of Google’s offerings.
India has emerged as an attractive destination for global tech companies due to its abundant pool of high-quality and cost-effective talent. Google’s decision to tap into its India offices mirrors similar moves by other tech giants. Apple, for instance, is aiming to shift a significant portion of its supply chain from China to India, aiming to create 500,000 non-technical direct jobs in the country over the next three years. Amazon India also has ambitious plans to create 2 million jobs by digitizing 10 million small businesses in India.
This development comes on the heels of a series of layoffs at the India offices of major tech companies last year. Google laid off 400-500 employees, while Meta and Amazon handed pink slips to 100 and 1,000 employees, respectively.
