Google cut 10% of executives and eliminated “pre-meetings for the sake of pre-meetings”

Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced a 10% cut of executive positions as part of an efficiency drive during an all-company meeting this week. Pichai detailed cuts to positions for vice presidents, managers and other mid-level executives, people familiar with the matter said.

Image source: BoliviaInteligente / unsplash.com

According to available data, some positions were completely abolished, while some managers were given individual employee status. This is all part of a massive restructuring program that has been underway at Google over the past two years.

Google’s move echoes Amazon CEO Andy Jassy’s recent directive to eliminate “pre-meetings for pre-meetings’ sake” and increase the number of face-to-face employees by 15% by the first quarter of 2025. Both tech giants continue to shed layers of middle management that are seen as slowing down decision-making and innovation. The moves come as Google faces increasing pressure from artificial intelligence rivals such as OpenAI, whose innovations have challenged Google’s search business.

Efficiency efforts began at Google in 2022, when Pichai set a goal to make the company 20% more efficient. This effort has already led to significant changes, including the largest workforce reduction in Google history, which took place in January 2023. Then about 12 thousand company employees lost their jobs. The new leadership cuts demonstrate Google’s ongoing commitment to streamlining its operations.