Google Offers Buyouts to Employees Across Search, Ads, and Marketing Divisions

Google has begun offering voluntary buyouts to employees across several key divisions, including its Search, Ads, Engineering, Marketing, Research, and Communications teams. The move is part of the company’s broader efforts to reduce its workforce while avoiding abrupt layoffs.

The buyouts apply to U.S.-based employees and are part of a “voluntary exit program” that offers severance to those who choose to leave. At the same time, certain remote workers living within 50 miles of a Google office are being asked to return on a hybrid work schedule. The company said this is meant to increase in-person collaboration.

Google’s Knowledge and Information unit, which includes its Search and Ads products, is among the largest departments affected. Leadership within the unit reportedly encouraged employees who are not aligned with the company’s current direction, or those struggling with performance expectations, to consider the buyout offer. Employees who are engaged and meeting expectations have been encouraged to stay on.

This latest round of buyouts comes as Google continues to adjust its workforce following several cost-cutting efforts over the past two years. Since laying off 12,000 employees in 2023, the company has been gradually trimming headcount through department restructuring, policy shifts, and now voluntary exits.

Similar buyout programs have been introduced in other parts of the company this year, including the hardware division, legal, finance, and human resources. Previous offers included severance packages that provided up to 14 weeks of base salary, plus one additional week for each year of service.

Internally, some employees view the buyouts as a more respectful approach than mass layoffs. However, the return-to-office policy tied to these offers has raised concerns among some staff who prefer remote work arrangements.

Company executives have stated that these decisions are part of a broader plan to manage costs as Google increases investment in artificial intelligence. The company is also revising its internal employee training tools to focus more on AI applications and practical business skills.

While no official number has been shared regarding how many employees will take the current buyout, the move reflects a shift in how the tech giant is handling workforce reductions, less sudden, more targeted, and tied to longer-term strategy.