Google has been offering voluntary severance packages to employees in Canada, France, Germany, Japan, and Switzerland since June 2026. The expansion comes as the company faces rising costs from massive investments in artificial intelligence, while its cloud and AI divisions remain protected from the buyout programs.
Google confirmed the expansion to Reuters, which exclusively reported that the voluntary exit program had been extended to five additional countries. The program was previously available to employees in certain divisions in the United States and the United Kingdom.
Reuters was unable to determine how many employees had accepted the latest offers.
A Google spokesperson told Reuters that some teams introduced voluntary exit programs with severance in 2025. The company expanded the initiative internationally in June 2026 to support its future priorities.
Employees in switzerland offered up to 12 months of salary
Reuters obtained the most detailed information about the program in Switzerland, where Google employs approximately 5,000 people and operates a major engineering center in Zurich.
According to three sources familiar with the situation, the program covered several departments but excluded DeepMind, Google's artificial intelligence research division.
The offers were announced in mid-June, employees received responses by mid-July, and the first departures took place in August.
Those who accepted the packages received one month's salary for each year of service, capped at a maximum of 12 months.
One source said at least four employees in a team of approximately 50 had accepted the offer.
Google employees in Switzerland have experienced significant job cuts before. In 2023, the company laid off more than 200 workers in the country, prompting protests and an organized walkout.
Reuters also noted that, in at least one previous case, Google followed a voluntary exit program in a department with additional layoffs.
Google Cloud and DeepMind remain priorities
Employees in Google Cloud and DeepMind were excluded from earlier rounds of voluntary buyouts, and according to Reuters, the latest expansion appears to follow the same pattern.
Google Chief Financial Officer Anat Ashkenazi has repeatedly emphasized during investor meetings that artificial intelligence and cloud computing remain key hiring priorities.
The company is reducing costs in areas it considers less critical while continuing to direct substantial investments toward AI.
Voluntary exit program began in 2025
Google first introduced the program in January 2025 for employees working on Android, Chrome, and Pixel in the United States, as the company confirmed to TechCrunch at the time.
In June 2025, the offers expanded to other divisions, including Search and advertising.
In February 2026, the program was extended to Google's global business organization, according to an internal memo reviewed by Business Insider.
Google executives have described the program as an opportunity for employees who no longer feel aligned with the company's pace or direction to leave voluntarily.
Discussion(0)