Google cuts jobs again, Cloud and cybersecurity teams hit by layoffs

There seems to be no end to layoffs in the tech industry. Every time a company announces job cuts, it often cites restructuring efforts aimed at improving efficiency. The assumption is that after a round of layoffs, operations will become leaner and further cuts may not be necessary. Yet, the same companies often return months later with another round of layoffs. Now, just weeks after Meta began laying off thousands of employees, Google has reportedly made fresh cuts within its Cloud division.

According to a report by Business Insider, employees working at Google Cloud have been affected by layoffs over the last two weeks. The report, citing people familiar with the matter, said one of the impacted teams was Google's Threat Intelligence Group, one of the company's top security units that regularly publishes research on hackers and cyber threats.

Some employees have also posted about the layoffs on LinkedIn.

The cuts were reportedly not limited to that unit. Other teams at Mandiant, the cybersecurity company which was acquired by Google in 2022, and additional groups within Google Cloud were also affected, according to the report.

Why is Google cutting jobs?

At the moment, it remains unclear exactly how many employees were impacted or why the cuts are happening now. However, in at least one instance, Google reportedly cited the need to reinvest resources into growth areas such as artificial intelligence.

"We regularly evaluate our internal structures to ensure we are best positioned to meet the evolving demands of our customers and the industry," a Google spokesperson told Business Insider.

While the company has not publicly linked these layoffs directly to AI, the timing comes as major technology companies continue pouring billions of dollars into artificial intelligence infrastructure, products, and research.

Google joins a growing list of tech companies cutting jobs

Google is the latest company to reduce headcount in recent months.

On May 20, around 8,000 Meta employees reportedly received an email at 4 a.m. informing them that their services were no longer required. The layoffs accounted for roughly 10 per cent of the company's global workforce.

Microsoft has also been reducing costs through multiple rounds of job cuts. As of June 2025, the company had around 228,000 employees worldwide, including 125,000 in the United States. Most recently, the company cut 9,000 jobs. Earlier this year, Microsoft also offered voluntary retirement buyouts to up to 7 per cent of its workforce, marking the first time it has implemented a programme of that scale.

Other companies have been more direct about the role of AI. Firms such as Coinbase and Block have previously pointed to artificial intelligence while announcing significant workforce reductions.

Even cybersecurity companies have not been spared. Cloudflare laid off more than 1,100 employees last month as it prepared for what it described as the "agentic AI era."

Is AI really replacing workers?

As layoffs continue across the industry, a growing number of voices are questioning whether artificial intelligence is truly replacing workers at the scale some companies suggest.

Critics argue that AI is increasingly being used as an explanation for workforce reductions, even when companies may already be looking to cut costs or reorganise operations.

That debate recently gained attention when OpenAI CEO Sam Altman suggested that some companies may be using AI as a justification for layoffs that would have happened anyway.