Fitbit co-founders leave Google as giant sheds hundreds of jobs
GOOGLE is axing hundreds of jobs as a new wave of layoffs grips Silicon Valley.
The US tech giant is cutting engineering staff across various divisions, including Google AI Assistant, Pixel smartphones, Nest thermostats and the Fitbit health tracker, it has told staff.
Fitbit co-founders James Park and Eric Friedman are leaving as part of the departures, four years after Google paid $2.1bn (£1.7bn) for the fitness tracking firm. Multiple tech companies have kicked off rounds of redundancies in January, including Instagram which is laying off dozens of managers.
Amazon this week also told staff it was cutting hundreds of jobs in its Prime Video and studios businesses as well as Twitch, the video streaming service it owns.
Games developer Unity has also announced plans to reduce 25pc of staff, a move that hits 1,800 employees. It comes a year after tens of thousands of workers were let go during a market downturn.
Google told affected staff on Wednesday: “We’ve had to make some difficult decisions about ongoing employment of some Google employees and we regret to inform you that your position is being eliminated.” A spokesman said:
“We’re responsibly investing in our company’s biggest priorities and the significant opportunities ahead.”
Shares in Google’s parent company, Alphabet, have risen by 55pc in the 12 months, in contrast to last year’s heavy layoffs, which were preceded by a fall in the company’s valuation.
The Alphabet Workers Union, which claims to represent 1,400 employees, called the cuts “needless”.
It said: “Our members and teammates work hard every day to build great products for our users, and the company cannot continue to fire our coworkers while making billions every quarter. We won’t stop fighting until our jobs are safe.” Google has been known to heavily invest in new products as it seeks to branch out from its core search business but often cuts back when new ideas struggle. Sales of its Pixel phones have been increasing in recent years, although sales of Fitbits are believed to have fallen.