Google is offering a voluntary exit program for US employees working in its Platforms & Devices organization, which oversees key products including Android, Pixel, Chrome, and Nest. The announcement came through an internal memo from Senior Vice President Rick Osterloh, as first reported by 9to5Google.
The program offers severance packages to employees who choose to leave the division, following last year’s merger of Google’s hardware and software teams.”The Platforms & Devices team is offering a voluntary exit program that provides US-based Googlers working on this team the ability to voluntarily leave the company with a severance package,” a Google spokesperson confirmed.
The voluntary exit option affects teams working on Android (including Auto, TV, Wear OS, and XR), Chrome, ChromeOS, Google Photos, Google One, Pixel, Fitbit, and Nest products. The program is specifically limited to US-based employees within the Platforms & Devices group.
According to the company, the decision comes in response to last year’s organizational restructuring. “This comes after we brought two large organizations together last year,” the spokesperson explained, adding that “there’s tremendous momentum on this team and with so much important work ahead, we want everyone to be deeply committed to our mission and focused on building great products, with speed and efficiency.”
The move follows a period of significant change at Google, including the April 2023 merger that brought Android and Chrome teams together with the hardware division under Osterloh’s leadership. That reorganization was intended to help the company integrate AI features more effectively across its products.
The announcement has raised concerns among some employees about potential future layoffs, particularly given Google’s recent history of workforce reductions. The company had previously faced criticism for not offering voluntary exit options before past layoffs, which included 12,000 workers in 2023 followed by multiple rounds of cuts in 2024.