Google has cut 35% of its managers, focusing on those leading teams with fewer than three people. The move, announced during an all-hands meeting on August 27, 2025, has jolted workers across the globe. The recent Google management layoffs is part of CEO Sundar Pichai’s bold move that focuses on efficiency, reshaping the tech darling’s hierarchy amid ongoing restructuring plans. Pichai’s ongoing Google layoffs not only reshape the company’s structure but also push for leaner operations.
What’s interesting is that the Google job cuts will once again help the giant double down on its AI and cost efficiency moves.
Pichai has been clear about the reasoning behind these Google layoffs in 2025. “We need to be more efficient as we grow, so we don’t just throw more people at every problem,” he said during the meeting.
Did Google cut managers for efficiency?
The recent Google layoffs target roles seen as unnecessary, particularly managers overseeing small teams. Brian Welle, Google’s VP of People Analytics and Performance, shared the details: “We now have 35% fewer managers, with fewer direct reports than a year ago.”
Welle added that Google aims to reduce its leadership ranks, i.e. managers, directors, and vice presidents, to a smaller share of the workforce over time. So, why did Google fire managers?
The ongoing layoffs at Google won’t just cut managers’ roles. Many affected managers have now been shifted to individual contributor roles, thereby retaining their expertise within the company.
Pichai has been clear about the reasoning behind these Google layoffs in 2025. “We need to be more efficient as we grow, so we don’t just throw more people at every problem,” he said during the meeting. The CEO’s approach marks a significant shift from Google’s past, where rapid hiring fueled growth.
These Google layoffs build on earlier job cuts. This includes the 6% workforce reductions at Google in 2023, and targeted layoffs in teams like Android and Pixel. With a nod to rival Meta’s policies, Pichai jokingly remarked, “Maybe I should try running the company with all of Meta’s policies,” but clarified that Google’s existing leave options are sufficient.
Voluntary Exit Program (VEP) softening the blow of Google layoffs?
To soften the blow in the aftermath of Google layoffs, the giant has introduced a Voluntary Exist Program (VEP) in January 2025 for U.S. employees in areas like search, marketing, hardware, and people operations. Fiona Cicconi, Google’s chief people office, called the VEP a success. “It’s been quite effective,” with 3% to 5% of eligible employees taking the offer, often for personal reasons like family or breaks from work.
Pichai praised the program’s flexibility, “I’m glad it’s worked out well, it gives people agency.”
What Google manager firings bring to the table
Google layoffs in the past year aimed to make decision-making faster and foster innovation by reducing management layers. This move, however, comes with a slew of risks. Google firing small team managers could weaken mentorship for junior employees or overload remaining managers.
Alphabet’s CFO, Anat Ashkenazi, hinted last October that cost-cutting needs to go “a little further,” suggesting more changes may come soon.
Employee reactions on Google firing managers overseeing small teams have been mixed. One anonymous worker told The HR Digest that the Google layoffs simply show the fragility of middle-class jobs in the era of AI.
Google’s manager firings isn’t the first time a company has prioritized efficiency over expansion. For companies, the recent Google layoffs offer more than a case study on the balance between agility and stability. Sundar Pichai-led layoffs at Google may set a new standard for Silicon Valley giant, but they also raise several questions about employee morale.
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