Alphabet Inc., the parent company of Google announces fresh round of firings at mapping app Waze

The trend of major technology companies laying off employees continues, as Alphabet Inc., the parent company of Google, announced a fresh round of layoffs at its mapping app, Waze. The company is merging Waze’s advertising system with Google Ads technology, leading to a reduction in roles focused on Waze Ads monetization in sales, marketing, operations, and analytics.

Chris Phillips, who oversees Google’s maps division called Geo, expressed the difficulty of such decisions and acknowledged the contributions made by the affected Waze employees to the app’s success and culture. The exact number of employees who survived the fallout remains unclear, although Waze had over 500 employees as of Tuesday.

Waze also confirmed the layoffs, stating that the transition to Google Ads technology aimed to create a better long-term experience for advertisers. The company mentioned the reduction in roles focused on Waze Ads monetization and stated that it would provide affected employees with mobility resources and severance options as required by local regulations.

Waze, known for its crowdsourcing technique that determines the fastest driving routes, was acquired by Google for $1.3 billion in 2013. However, Google has been working on integrating Waze into its Geo unit, which includes products like Google Maps, Google Earth, and Street View.

Following a hiring spree in response to the pandemic, tech giants have been cutting back on their workforce. In January, Alphabet announced a layoff of 12,000 employees, equivalent to six percent of its workforce. Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai had previously indicated the company’s efforts to increase efficiency by 20 percent, prioritizing the right projects and ensuring employees are productive and impactful.

Pichai emphasized the need for careful decision-making and improving productivity across the company. The goal was to allocate resources effectively and enable employees to make a meaningful difference in their work, ultimately making the company 20 percent more productive.