Google, Microsoft, and Amazon layoffs: Which departments took the most hit

Recent layoffs at tech giants Google, Microsoft, and Amazon have left thousands of people jobless. Reports about the teams that saw cuts are now shedding light on the departments that were most affected in the big tech companies.

The pandemic as well as global political instability and inflation has deeply impacted the tech industry, and the layoffs of thousands of employees have had a significant impact on many individuals.

Microsoft

At Microsoft, the layoffs were part of a 'realignment', as reported by Bloomberg. Several game development studios took the most hit. 

There were cuts at Starfield developer Bethesda, and journalist Jason Schreier said in a tweet that its Halo studio 343 Industries was reportedly affected by the layoffs. The Coalition, the brains behind the Gears of War games, were also affected.

Google 

Layoffs at Google were spread through nearly every group, including Chrome, Search, Android, and Google Cloud, according to The Information. Google's decision to let go of 12,000 employees was only just announced on Friday, and curiously majority of the employees who were handed the pink slips had received “high-performance reviews” and some managers made anywhere from $500K to $1 million (~Rs 4-8 crores) per year. 

The Google Brain division run by Jeff Dean, the senior vice president of research and artificial intelligence was “relatively unaffected” pointing to the company’s focus towards deep machine learning and AI.

Amazon

At Amazon, the layoffs included jobs in the devices and services division according to Bloomberg. The majority of the cuts affected teams associated with products like Alexa and its Echo smart home devices including a video-calling device for kids and telehealth service, Hardware chief Dave Limp told CNBC.

NBC has also reported layoffs among employees part of the Prime Air drone delivery project at multiple sites, including its headquarters and its Pendleton, Oregon test site.

Also Read

Google CEO Sundar Pichai announces 12000 job cuts, impacted employees now receiving emails

This social media app for giving compliments is going viral among teens

As Netflix’s Reed Hastings steps down, meet the two new CEOs replacing him