Google is reportedly offering "voluntary exit program" to Pixel-Android merger affected employees

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A photo of the big "G" in front of the Google campus in Mountain View, CA
Google is reportedly offering a "voluntary exit program" for employees working on Pixel and Android in the US. This comes after the teams responsible for Pixel hardware and Android software were merged into one division last year.

According to the source, Google's SVP Rick Osterloh sent out a memo to employees about the program, which applies to US employees working on Platforms & Devices, including Android, Chrome, ChromeOS, Google Photos, Google One, Pixel, Fitbit, and Nest. However, the program is not company-wide and does not apply to Search, AI, or other groups.

Osterloh said the division received questions about the possibility of voluntary exits since the Pixel-Android merger. Not offering people the option to leave in advance was a complaint about how Google handled past layoffs, so this memo frames this exit program as being beneficial for those who might not be aligned or passionate about the combined organization's mission or are having difficulty with their roles and hybrid working requirements. In order words, if you are not happy, you shouldn't stay.

Employees who choose to leave Google under this exit program will get a severance package, with more details internally coming soon. The company also issued a statement on the issue as follows:

Google statement to 9to5Google

Before the merger, the Google hardware division switched to an organization model that employed one team and one leader for teams like hardware engineering across Pixel, Nest, and Fitbit. At the same time, a few hundred roles were cut, calling that broader unification an attempt to "speed up decision-making" internally.

According to the statement above, the ultimate goal of offering this exit program today is to retain the employees that are "deeply committed to the mission" and give those who are not a chance to decide to move on. It appears as if there were more than enough queries to offer this exit program that would eventually persuade the company to do so. Either way, if those requesting it were planning to leave anyway, this is most likely in their best interest. As a consumer, my only hope is that this doesn't affect the products and services themselves that Google offers.
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