Google workers on Thursday delivered a petition calling for layoff protections as tech giants continue to slash their workforces while pouring billions into AI. The petition, led by the Alphabet Workers Union and signed by more than 4,500 employees, calls for guaranteed severance, buyouts before mandatory layoffs, and the option to take severance as extended paid leave.
Petition delivered to CEO Sundar Pichai
Parul Koul, a Google software engineer and president of the Alphabet Workers Union, delivered the petition to the office of CEO Sundar Pichai at Google's California headquarters. Workers were "greeted with closed doors and no response for the most part," Koul said. They left the petition with a staff member who committed to delivering it to Pichai.
Koul pointed to Google's $4 trillion valuation, which has quadrupled over the last six years. "Make no mistake: this is a company that is enjoying massive, unprecedented success," she said. "These layoffs and cuts are not difficult decisions, but simply profit being put over the people that make this company run."
Demands include ending performance ratings based on quotas
Union members are also asking to end performance ratings they say are based on achieving quotas rather than merit. The petition is "the largest piece of employee feedback that Google has received about job security," Koul said. Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
At a press conference on Thursday, workers called out Alphabet's mass layoffs in 2023, which drew shouts of "shame" from the crowd. Workers chanted: "Google, Google you can't hide, we can see your greedy side."
AI investments coincide with workforce reductions
The petition comes as big tech companies thin their ranks, with some explicitly citing AI as a reason. Google has been cutting its workforce as it ramps up AI spending. Google Cloud quietly laid off some employees about two months ago, according to Business Insider. Last summer, the company eliminated more than one-third of its managers overseeing small teams, according to an audio recording obtained by CNBC.
In the company's latest earnings call, Anat Ashkenazi, Alphabet's chief financial officer, called AI a "key investment area," in which the company plans to continue hiring and boost marketing support. Google did not comment on whether AI has played a role in its layoffs, but the CEO of DeepMind previously told Wired that companies trying to replace developers with AI "have a lack of imagination."
Wider Silicon Valley trend
Employees across Silicon Valley are attempting to shield themselves from the effects of the AI boom. The day before the petition went public, dozens of Meta employees sued the social media giant for allegedly using AI tools to tag workers for mass layoffs. Meta conducted a workforce reduction of about 8,000 employees earlier this year. The workers allege that AI tools targeted them after they requested protected or maternity leave or disability accommodation. Meta disputed the allegations, with a spokesperson stating, "These claims lack merit and are not based on facts."
Oracle laid off about 21,000 employees over the last year and suggested in its latest annual report that AI adoption "may continue to result in reductions to our workforce." Block laid off almost half of its workforce—roughly 4,000 employees—earlier this year, with CEO Jack Dorsey citing efficiency gains due to AI. Microsoft announced plans to cut about 2.1% of its workforce—about 4,800 jobs, mostly in its Xbox gaming division—as it invests in AI.
Union campaign builds on previous victory
Thursday's petition builds on the Alphabet union campaign that has already secured voluntary exit packages for more than 70,000 workers. The petition aims to address unmet demands. "We've organized actions mobilizing hundreds of Googlers around the country to raise visibility and attention to these concerns and despite this, Google management has chosen to ignore us," Koul said. "This is why we gathered here in person today."
Dan Freedman, a Google software engineer and Alphabet union member who works on AI tools for designers, was among several employees at the press conference who raised concerns about AI's impact on jobs. After AI was added to his job requirements, he feared he wasn't using it enough and that it could replace him. "I have to wonder if I'm next," he said.
