Ahead of Google’s annual I/O developer conference in May, the tech giant announced that it will be rolling out key teams such as Flutter, Dart and Python, according to reports from affected employees shared on social media. The staff was temporarily laid off. Google confirmed the layoffs to TechCrunch, but declined to disclose specific teams, roles, or how many people were laid off.
“As we’ve said, we are investing responsibly in our biggest priorities and the important opportunities ahead,” Google spokesperson Alex García-Kummert said in a statement. “To best position us for these opportunities, in late 2023 and into 2024, many of our teams will be making changes to improve efficiency and workability, removing layers and We’ve aligned our resources to the product’s biggest priorities. This allows us to simplify our organization and reduce bureaucracy and hierarchy while ensuring our employees are aligned with the most innovative and important advances and the company’s biggest priorities. “We intend to increase opportunities to work on this,” he added.
The company clarified that the layoffs are not company-wide, but rather a reorganization that is part of the normal course of business. Affected employees will be able to apply for other open positions at Google.
in X 1 postFlutter and Dart’s PM, said the layoffs affected “many teams” and “many great projects lost talent.”
“We are sad, but we are working hard on I/O and beyond.” I have written Google PM kevin moore In the Flutter development community on Reddit, he added that Flutter and Dart were more or less unaffected compared to other teams. “We know you all care so much about this project, this team, and the amazing ecosystem we’ve built together. You’re nervous, aren’t you? I understand. I understand. “So am I, and so is Google,” he said.
Google also told TechCrunch that Flutter has new updates planned to share at I/O this year.
In another post on Reddit, Another commenter He noted that the Python teams affected by the layoffs were those that managed internal Python runtimes and toolchains and were using OSS Python. The group reportedly included “several current and former core developers and governing council members.”
Meanwhile, others shared it on Y Combinator’s Hacker News. be familiar with He explained the specific technical duties and pointed out that for many years much of the work was done by fewer than 10 people. Another Hacker News commenter said that his early years on the Python team were spent paying off internal technical debt that had accumulated due to not having a strong his Python strategy. Ta.
“[D]Despite being understaffed, we had a manager who was very good at maintaining a work-life balance and a “marathon, not a sprint” approach to work. As I said in another comment, this is the best job I’ve ever had and I’ll miss it so much. ” I have written.
“Python was one of the first languages widely used at Google. It was the last major backend language to get a language team,” user gpshead also said.
Google did not provide details on the number of employees, but some of the layoffs at Google may have been confirmed in a WARN notice filed on April 24th. WARN (California Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act) requires employers with 100 or more employees to notify employers with 60 or more employees the day before termination. Google said in its filing that it will lay off 50 employees at three Sunnyvale locations.
On social media, commenters expressed concern about the Python job cuts, especially given the role Python tools play in AI. But some point out that Google hasn’t gotten rid of the Python team. That team has been replaced by another group based in Munich, at least according to Python Governing Council member Thomas Wouters. Posting to Mastodon Last Thursday.
“It’s a tough day when everyone you work directly with, including your manager, is made redundant. I’m sorry, but you’re asked to ‘reduce your role’ and hire someone to replace you, and people… ‘People from other countries are not happy about that,’ he said.
Consistent with local requirements, Google will provide all affected employees with time to search for a variety of roles at Google or other companies, or take advantage of outplacement services and severance benefits, consistent with local requirements. He said he would support the project.
