Google’s Cloud Division recently witnessed a massive layoff spree, as more than 10 of its employees were laid off. The layoff has primarily affected workers in design and user experience research roles, according to reports from CNBC and Business Insider.
Affected employees received emails on Monday informing them about how their positions were being terminated, as reported by CNBC and several other LinkedIn posts. The cuts targeted quantitative user experience research teams and platform service experience teams—roles that use data and surveys to understand user behavior and inform product development.
Reports suggest that Google has reduced the size of some of its Cloud unit design teams by half. Some of the affected workers have been given a time period until December to find new positions within the company. The jilted employees have been sharing about the predicament their employer has placed them in on LinkedIn. One former employee posted that they were on an O-1 visa, requiring them to secure a new role within 60 days or leave the United States.
Google’s Cloud Business Witnesses Record Growth
The layoffs come as Google Cloud continues to showcase record financial results. The division reported $13.6 billion in revenue for Q2 2025, representing 32% year-over-year growth. Further, the operating income reached $2.8 billion.
Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian recently highlighted the company’s $106 billion backlog at a Goldman Sachs conference, noting that over half will convert to revenue within two years. Despite the strong performance, Kurian emphasized the company’s focus on “operating discipline to improve operating margins.”
Cuts Are Part of a Broader Efficiency Push at Google
Google is going through major restructuring efforts throughout 2025, and these include voluntary exit packages for U.S.-based employees across Human Resources, Hardware, Search, Ads, Marketing, Finance, and Commerce divisions. Beyond that, Google has also eliminated the roles of more than one-third of managers overseeing small teams since the beginning of the year.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai told employees in August that the company needs to “be more efficient as we scale up so we don’t solve everything with headcount” as Google invests in artificial intelligence infrastructure.
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