Google offers buyouts in 5 countries amid rising AI costs
Business
Google is now offering voluntary buyouts to employees in countries like Canada, France, Germany, Japan, and Switzerland.
This move comes as the company tries to manage rising costs from its big push into artificial intelligence.
The program first started in the US and UK last year.
Swiss buyout excludes DeepMind sparks departures
The buyout deal in Switzerland gives staff one month's salary for every year they've worked (up to a year's pay), but skips DeepMind.
In Switzerland, some workers left after the offer rolled out, while others protested layoffs.
Overall, Google's parent company Alphabet is shifting focus toward AI and cloud tech (following a trend set by companies like Microsoft) as it rethinks its workforce for the future.