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Google has expanded its voluntary employee buyout program to five countries as its parent company, Alphabet, looks to control rising costs amid heavy investments in artificial intelligence (AI). The company began offering voluntary exit packages to some employees in Canada, France, Germany, Japan and Switzerland in June 2026, Reuters reported on November 4.
The expansion comes as Google's AI spending continues to attract investor attention and raises concerns about the financial pressure of building and scaling AI infrastructure. Google confirmed the program's expansion to Reuters, although the number of employees who have accepted the latest offers remains unknown.
A Google spokesperson said the company had introduced voluntary exit programs with severance packages in some teams in 2025 before expanding the initiative internationally.
"In 2025, some of our teams introduced a voluntary exit program with severance," the spokesperson said. "This past summer, in June, we expanded this program globally in a few countries to support our important work ahead."
The latest offers follow earlier voluntary exit programs introduced in certain divisions in the United States and Britain. Company executives have described the initiative as an option for employees who no longer feel aligned with Google's pace or direction.
In at least one instance, Google followed voluntary exit offers to a division with a round of layoffs.
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Google's workforce has grown steadily in recent quarters, even as the company shifts resources toward priority business areas. Chief Financial Officer Anat Ashkenazi has repeatedly identified AI and cloud computing as key hiring priorities during quarterly earnings presentations.
Employees in Google Cloud and DeepMind, the company's AI research unit, were excluded from previous buyout programs. The latest expansion appears to follow the same pattern.
Switzerland offers a clearer picture of the program's terms. Google employs approximately 5,000 people in the country and operates a major engineering hub in Zurich.
According to three people familiar with the matter, the program covered multiple divisions but excluded DeepMind. Google announced the packages in mid-June and informed applicants of its decisions by mid-July. Employees who accepted the offers began leaving in August.
Eligible employees received one month's salary for every year of service, subject to a maximum of 12 months' pay. At least four employees in one team of approximately 50 reportedly accepted the offer.
The move follows Microsoft's offer of voluntary buyouts to 60,000 employees last week as technology companies reassess costs amid substantial AI investments.