Google, Amazon and more tech companies cut staff, invest in AI

Forbes announced earlier this week that Google’s sales division will be let go of a few hundred employees as the company looks to make its workforce more efficient for 2024. Picture: AFP

Forbes announced earlier this week that Google’s sales division will be let go of a few hundred employees as the company looks to make its workforce more efficient for 2024. Picture: AFP

Published Jan 19, 2024

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A few hundred employees will lose their jobs at Google in early 2024, as the tech giant and several other tech heavyweights carry out lay-offs.

Forbes reported earlier this week that Google’s sales division will be letting go of a few hundred employees as the company looks to make its workforce more efficient for 2024.

The major lay-offs are not new as the company let go of hundreds of employees in other divisions including members from its Google Assistant teams and the engineering and hardware department.

MORE COMPANY LAYOFFS

Other tech companies currently laying off staff include Twitch and Amazon’s audiobook division Audible. Twitch let go of around 500 employees and Amazon let go of around 100 workers.

Last week Duolingo said it had to let go of 10% of its contractors and said that it was moving towards artificial intelligence (AI) to replace the jobs.

AI start-up Humane said last week that they would cut 10 employees as their CEO Bethany Bongiorno said it was to help the future growth of the company.

Techcrunch reported this week that YouTube will let go of 100 employees in 2024.

The movie industry is no exception, as Pixar said it would potentially let go of 20% of its workforce. The company has around 1,300 employees.

Tech analysts and industry experts argue that the lay-offs are a result of companies racing to catch up in the AI race and this will cost billions as they try to establish the same tech as other AI companies, according to Reuters.

US tracking website Layoffs.fyi said that over 7,500 employees have been terminated in January 2024 in tech firms alone.

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