Strategic Insight: Google shifts to AI, offshoring non-AI roles; pivot your strategy.
This discussion sheds light on a significant strategic move at Google, involving company-wide buyouts for US employees. This action, set against the backdrop of ongoing hiring for new graduates and roles in specific growth areas, clearly points to a restructuring effort. At the heart of this shift seems to be a dual strategy: offshoring or reducing roles focused on maintaining established products, while ramping up investment and hiring in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), and new product development.
This is a crucial insight for tech job seekers.
Key Skills, Tools, and Qualifications:
- Skills: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), new product development, research.
- Tools: Common AI/ML platforms and libraries (e.g., TensorFlow, PyTorch, scikit-learn), and cloud computing platforms for AI workloads.
- Qualifications: Degrees and experience in Computer Science with a specialization in AI/ML. New graduate degrees are explicitly mentioned as being in demand for certain roles. Experience in research (for ML researcher roles) is also valuable.
Better Job Opportunities & Resume Direction:
- Focus your resume and skill development heavily on AI, machine learning, and experience in developing new products or features.
- Highlight any projects or work involving cutting-edge technologies, particularly within AI/ML.
- Avoid overemphasizing experience solely in maintaining legacy systems or mature products, as these roles appear to be at higher risk of buyouts or offshoring.
- Tailor applications towards roles like "ML Engineer," "AI Researcher," "Software Engineer (AI/ML focus)," or positions within teams dedicated to new product innovation.
- New graduates should highlight relevant AI/ML coursework, projects, and internships.
Possible Job Opportunities:
- AI/ML Engineer
- Machine Learning Researcher
- Software Engineer (New Product Development / AI focus)
- Data Scientist (with a strong ML component)
Expected Benefits/Insights:
- The severance packages mentioned (e.g., "26 weeks" or "14+1/year") indicate the seriousness of this restructuring and Google's intent to reshape its workforce. While not a direct benefit for job seekers, it underscores the value of aligning with strategic growth areas.
- Pivoting to or strengthening expertise in AI/ML offers better job security and growth prospects in the current tech landscape, not just at Google but industry-wide.
- While core Google maintenance roles might be shrinking in the US, opportunities in AI/ML and new ventures (potentially under different branding or subsidiaries) are likely expanding.
Origin Reddit Post
r/cscareerquestions
[Breaking] Google offering buyouts to US employees throughout the company.
Posted by u/cs-grad-person-man•06/11/2025
[https://www.investopedia.com/google-is-offering-buyouts-to-us-employees-throughout-the-company-report-says-11752129](https://www.investopedia.com/google-is-offering-buyouts-to-us-employees-t
Top Comments
u/poipoipoi_2016
They literally hired the same guy who destroyed Yahoo to destroy Google Search and he fired the people who tried to preserve the core of the products.
u/MichaelCorbaloney
This is going to keep happening until
A) Less people start going into CS
B) Politicians actually realize the harm offshoring/outsourcing is doing the fields like CS, engineering, accounting
u/TonyTheEvil
26 weeks severance
Edit: this might be wrong. I didn't get the email as I'm not in core, but a post on blind says 14+1/year and 18+1/year for L6+
u/TheBrinksTruck
Offshoring + Cutting from teams that aren’t developing/researching AI.
They’ll probably add more ML researchers and engineers throughout the org
u/ForsookComparison
it's Sundar. This is his one move. Like "Magnum" from Zoolander, everything he does is just some slight variation of this one play over and over again.
u/ElectricalCreme7728
Can't expect much more from McKinsey alumn. Dude's a one-trick pony who's destroyed any novel innovation in Google.
u/furo_pneu
That's not a lot, 6 months to find a new job in the current state in US market. I don't know about US worker laws but it would seem to me stringing it along would be better, unless you have a
u/MichaelCorbaloney
This is going to keep happening until
A) Less people start going into CS
B) Politicians actually realize the harm offshoring/outsourcing is doing the fields like CS, engineering, accounting
u/TechnicianUnlikely99
He probably should have specified. Seemed like he was trying to quell fears of US devs since that’s where the podcast is.
Should’ve said “US devs are cooked. We’re hiring in India tho!”
u/NewChameleon
>Didn’t this mfer Sundar just say literally 4 days ago on the Lex Friedman podcast that google is planning on hiring more devs over the next few years in response to a question on if softw
u/TechnicianUnlikely99
Didn’t this mfer Sundar just say literally 4 days ago on the Lex Friedman podcast that google is planning on hiring more devs over the next few years in response to a question on if software
u/m0viestar
Biden did the same thing, nothing. Mass layoffs when he was president and 0 response.
u/fireball_jones
Cut highly paid older workers and bring in anyone who will take half as much to do twice the work, tale as old as time.
u/furo_pneu
How good is the deal? What are you planning to do?
u/RaccoonDoor
Of course
u/_176_
Not /u/retirement_savings but I actually have gotten 4 interviews and 2 new grad interviews (my first 2 ever) in the last 6 weeks after having ~2 interviews in the last 2 years. It definitely
u/TechnicianUnlikely99
Didn’t this mfer Sundar just say literally 4 days ago on the Lex Friedman podcast that google is planning on hiring more devs over the next few years in response to a question on if software
u/TechnicianUnlikely99
He probably should have specified. Seemed like he was trying to quell fears of US devs since that’s where the podcast is.
Should’ve said “US devs are cooked. We’re hiring in India tho!”
u/SmokingPuffin
Hiring does not preclude layoffs. Most large cap tech is doing both every year.
u/RaccoonDoor
Of course
u/tenakthtech
Yup.
> Earlier this year, some of our teams introduced a voluntary exit program with severance for U.S.-based Googlers
Get ready to see some new openings in Latin America, India, and may
u/StyleFree3085
Trump watching and do nothing, repeating the manufacturing mistake. Impossible to bring it back later
u/_176_
Not /u/retirement_savings but I actually have gotten 4 interviews and 2 new grad interviews (my first 2 ever) in the last 6 weeks after having ~2 interviews in the last 2 years. It definitely
u/NewChameleon
>Didn’t this mfer Sundar just say literally 4 days ago on the Lex Friedman podcast that google is planning on hiring more devs over the next few years in response to a question on if softw
u/thatyousername
You forget about oncall rotations. Some teams need fat to make oncall more manageable.
u/GuyF1eri
Is this an offshoring play?
u/ConditionHorror9188
I doubt it personally.
Google is very definite about paying top dollar for the ‘best’ people in SV.
I think this is good old fashioned ‘cut headcount and push the remaining people harder’.
u/TheMoneyOfArt
The search product is worse today than it's ever been
u/CircusTentMaker
P&D offered VEP, then within a couple weeks after the VEP results were announced they followed up with layoffs to the PA. I think we can almost certainly expect the same thing to happen h
u/volvogiff7kmmr
I expect to get downvoted for this but pragmatically, I think this makes sense. Most teams at Google aren't exactly developing new products, they're just maintaining existing ones. When's the
u/Ok_Virus_7614
You have absolutely lost the plot.. 26 weeks is a GREAT offer compared to what most other companies would give, if not just outright laying you off.
Will be hard pressed to find better offer
u/poipoipoi_2016
Indians only hire other Indians remains unbeaten.
u/GuyF1eri
Is this an offshoring play?
u/National-Sky-721
Google is 100% offshoring to India and Brazil. I was there for over a decade and left recently. Had a chance to work out of Asia for a while and the India offices are growing at an insane pac
u/JOA23
The choice is between taking the severance or continuing to work at Google.
If they decline the voluntary severance, they will likely get an equivalent severance in the event they are laid o
u/LifeSupport0
not just that, but their divisions are all established products. their new stuff is under branded subsidiaries who are actually putting in the work developing stuff. core google is just maint
u/retirement_savings
I'm a Google engineer and an interviewer. I've been getting assigned interviews recently for new grads. I also just got an email today that I'm eligible for a voluntary exit 🤷
u/Captain-Crayg
What? Gmail and docs are huge products that are a lot of work to maintain. They are just tryna offshore to save $.
u/Pandapopcorn
100%
u/TonyTheEvil
26 weeks severance
Edit: this might be wrong. I didn't get the email as I'm not in core, but a post on blind says 14+1/year and 18+1/year for L6+
u/retirement_savings
I'm a Google engineer and an interviewer. I've been getting assigned interviews recently for new grads. I also just got an email today that I'm eligible for a voluntary exit 🤷
u/StyleFree3085
Trump watching and do nothing, repeating the manufacturing mistake. Impossible to bring it back later
u/poipoipoi_2016
Google is one of a very small number of places where they're actually building AI as opposed to using it and expect it to cannibalize the rest of their business to at least some extent.
He
u/poipoipoi_2016
Indians only hire other Indians remains unbeaten.
u/Pandapopcorn
100%
u/TheBrinksTruck
Offshoring + Cutting from teams that aren’t developing/researching AI.
They’ll probably add more ML researchers and engineers throughout the org
u/DesperateAdvantage76
If the company's long-term future isn't a concern, there are so many short-term savings you can squeeze from a healthy company. And everyone just thinks they can sell before the blowback occu
u/furo_pneu
How good is the deal? What are you planning to do?
u/CircusTentMaker
P&D offered VEP, then within a couple weeks after the VEP results were announced they followed up with layoffs to the PA. I think we can almost certainly expect the same thing to happen h
u/poipoipoi_2016
Google is one of a very small number of places where they're actually building AI as opposed to using it and expect it to cannibalize the rest of their business to at least some extent.
He