- Google has cut jobs in its Cloud division, including the Threat Intelligence Group
- Employees at Mandiant and other Google Cloud teams were also affected by layoffs
- Google cited shifting resources to AI growth areas as a reason for the job cuts
Google has become the latest Big Tech giant to cut staff, with employees across its Cloud division facing job losses over the past two weeks, Business Insider reported, citing two people familiar with the matter.
Among the units affected is Google's Threat Intelligence Group, one of the company's most prominent cybersecurity teams, known for regularly publishing research on global hacking operations.
The cuts hit that team this week, according to report, with some affected employees taking to LinkedIn to share news of their departures.
Staff at Mandiant, the cybersecurity firm Google acquired for $5.4 billion in 2022, were also impacted, along with other teams within Google Cloud more broadly.
The precise number of employees affected remains unclear. However, in at least one case, Google cited the need to redirect resources toward growth areas, specifically artificial intelligence, as the rationale for the cuts, one of Business Insider's sources said.
A Google spokesperson offered a measured response to the report, stating, "We regularly evaluate our internal structures to ensure we are best positioned to meet the evolving demands of our customers and the industry."
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The layoffs are part of a sweeping trend across the technology sector, where major companies have been trimming workforces while simultaneously pouring billions of dollars into AI development.
Meta laid off 10% of its global staff last month, while cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase and payments firm Block both cited AI-driven restructuring to justify significant job cuts earlier this year.
The cybersecurity sector has not been spared either — Cloudflare cut more than 1,100 employees last month as it repositioned itself for what it described as the "agentic AI era."
For Google, this is not the first time its Cloud division has been in the spotlight for workforce reductions. Reports suggest that the company quietly eliminated a number of roles within Google Cloud last year, primarily in user experience functions.
The latest cuts underscore a broader industry reckoning: as AI reshapes the economics of Big Tech, even well-regarded and strategically vital teams are finding themselves vulnerable to restructuring.
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