Google Layoffs Possible in January, Online Post Claims

An unverified post on the employee message board Team Blind claims that Google might initiate layoffs as early as January 2025. The post suggests the company has increased its target for low-performing employees to 10%, up from a previous 8%. These rumors follow Google parent Alphabet's Q3 earnings call, where CFO Anat Ashkenazi discussed further cost-cutting measures. While Google's earnings beat expectations, rising traffic acquisition costs (TAC) and ongoing legal battles with the Justice Department have concerned investors. The Team Blind post details how increased engineer productivity, with an average of 500 code changes per year, might make identifying low performers easier. However, the poster speculates that factors beyond mere performance, such as project assignment or management perception, could also influence layoff decisions. Other Google employees and those from companies like Amazon and Capital One responded to the post with varying levels of skepticism and additi…