Google, the tech giant under Alphabet, has expanded its voluntary employee departure program to several countries this year. As the company aggressively invests in artificial intelligence (AI), it is also attempting to rein in its rising costs, even as its overall workforce continues to grow.
According to a recent report from Reuters, Google confirmed that it began offering voluntary departure packages to certain employees in Canada, France, Germany, Japan, and Switzerland in June 2023. However, the latest round of this program was not previously reported, and the exact number of employees who have opted for the program remains unknown.
A spokesperson for Google stated, “In 2025, some of our teams launched voluntary departure plans with severance packages. This summer, we expanded the program to multiple countries to support our significant work ahead.”
The introduction of the voluntary departure program comes amid Alphabet’s increasing expenditures in AI, which have raised concerns on Wall Street and negatively impacted its stock price. Last week, Microsoft also offered a voluntary departure program to 60,000 employees as part of its cost-cutting efforts.
Notably, Google’s recent initiative occurs in the context of an expanding workforce rather than a widespread reduction in staff. As of the end of September 2026, the company’s employee count reached 204,757, marking a growth of approximately 10,000 employees within just six months. This surge in staffing is attributed to robust hiring practices as well as the acquisition of Israeli cybersecurity firm Wiz, as stated in the company’s third-quarter financial report.
These figures highlight how Google is simultaneously increasing its personnel in some areas while aiming to restructure its workforce in others. The company has consistently directed resources toward strategic priority sectors, particularly AI and cloud computing, while offering voluntary departure options to employees in specific divisions.
Chief Financial Officer Anat Ashkenazi repeatedly emphasized the importance of AI and cloud computing as key focuses for recruitment during the quarterly earnings call. Employees from Google Cloud and the AI research division, DeepMind, have historically been excluded from the voluntary departure programs, and the recent expansion appears to follow the same pattern.
In Switzerland, Google employs around 5,000 individuals and has a large engineering center in Zurich. Three sources with knowledge of the situation indicated that the program covers multiple departments in the region but does not include DeepMind.
Following the introduction of the voluntary departure packages in Switzerland, employees started leaving in August. Those who accepted the offer would receive severance pay equating to one month’s salary for every year of service, with a maximum cap of 12 months.
Additionally, a source noted that within a team of about 50 individuals, at least four employees opted for this program. Earlier in 2023, Google had laid off over 200 employees in Switzerland, an action that sparked protests and strikes among the staff.