Google’s cloud layoffs are the latest sign that the company’s reorganization efforts are taking concrete shape. Over the last two years, Google’s staff cuts have dominated the conversation, and while they have predominantly been reshaped by AI-driven changes taking place at the organization, there has been a concentrated effort to downsize and tighten up the forces for more efficiency-centered work.
This time, the Google Cloud UX cuts are occurring on a smaller scale, with around 100 workers lined up to make exits, although the impact on the workforce has been substantial.
Google Cloud layoffs have affected employees in user experience and design roles, including both senior workers and new hires. (Image: Freepik)
Google Cloud Layoffs Announced: How Far Will Job Cuts Take Us Towards Efficiency?
The Cloud job cuts at Google have targeted staff working in user experience roles, according to Business Insider, and they include employees who take care of design and user experience (UX) research. An exact number of the headcount affected by the cuts has not been revealed, but reports suggest they number in at a hundred or so. Some employees reportedly have until December to find another role within the organization.
Employees affected by the Google cloud cuts in 2025 received emails announcing the change on Monday. Google is known for being generous with its pay, and the severance package likely also offers some relief for the workers who now have to face an unstable job market.
The company previously offered employees in specific roles in the US a chance to accept voluntary buyout packages as a way to cut its numbers by allowing those who were on the verge of quitting a chance to head out first. This came after employees wrote a letter to the organization requesting that the company explore alternative strategies before turning to layoffs.
Despite this, however, there have been a few separate rounds of layoffs across the organization, including cuts among managerial staff.
The Google Cloud Staff Cuts Come at a Time When Workplace Loyalty Is Under Fire
Posts on LinkedIn from employees affected by the Google cloud staff cuts have painted a morose picture of many losing out on their dream jobs after having fought to secure them. “After nearly a decade working my dream job at Google, my role was impacted by a recent organizational change,” an affected Google employee stated on LinkedIn. “While it’s an unexpected transition, I’m incredibly grateful for the experience.”
Another employee affected by the cuts stated that they had only spent about six months working for the organization before the cuts were announced. “I spent the majority of my career targeting a role at Google only to have it taken away so quickly. That’s the industry, what can I say?” one employee told us.
The Google Cloud layoffs add to the growing conversation around workplace loyalty, where long-term employees are not immune to being waylaid in their career ambitions when the time for cuts arrives. While many top business leaders have been critical of job hoppers who move from role to role, there is a case to be made for leaving at your own pace before the cuts come. Prioritizing workplace loyalty is by no means an outdated concept if retention and productivity continue to hold relevance as organizational goals.
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