Google offers ‘voluntary exit’ for any US employees working on Pixel, Android

• Google opens “voluntary exit program” for Platforms & Devices workers
• Android, Chrome, Pixel, Fitbit and more programs affected
• Could this spell out more layoffs?

Google has opened up a voluntary exit deal for employees working on Pixel and Android projects after recently merging the hardware and software divisions into one.

9To5Google has confirmed US employees in the newly formed Platforms & Devices group received a “voluntary exit program” memo from SVP Rick Osterloh.

It means that Googlers responsible for Android (Auto, TV, Wear OS, XR), Chrome, ChromeOS, Google Photos, Google One, Pixel, Fitbit, and Nest could all be at risk of losing their jobs.

Google asks Platforms & Devices workers to resign

It’s believed the voluntary exit program only affects workers in the US, and it’s being framed as a move to support workers who feel they’re no longer suitable for their roles post-amalgamation. It also allows those who are not on-board with the company’s return to office mandate to leave with some additional financial support.

Details of the severance package have not been confirmed.

However, some workers are worried that this is a sign of things to come. Previous layoffs were criticized for not being preceded by voluntary resignation offers – this new exit program could lead to layoffs if too many workers stay on.

Google’s Q3 2024 revenue from subscriptions, platforms, and devices stood at $10.7 billion, up from $8.3 billion in the same period of 2023. We’re four days away from finding out how the company’s final quarter and full-year figures looked.

On the workers’ front, jobs have been fairly insecure since Google started its cost-cutting journey. In 2023, 12,000 workers were made redundant in one blow; at least 11 other rounds of layoffs followed in 2024.

A Google spokesperson told TechRadar Pro in an email: "The Platforms & Devices team is offering a voluntary exit program that provides US-based Googlers working on this team the ability to voluntarily leave the company with a severance package. This comes after we brought two large organizations together last year. There's tremendous momentum on this team and with so much important work ahead, we want everyone to be deeply committed to our mission and focused on building great products, with speed and efficiency."

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