Alphabet extends voluntary employee exit offers to five more countries
Google's parent company is expanding its severance programme to Canada, France, Germany, Japan and Switzerland to manage expenses.
Alphabet has expanded its voluntary employee exit programme to five additional countries, including Canada, France, Germany, Japan and Switzerland, according to a Times Now report. The technology giant is implementing these separation packages as it seeks to manage costs while investing billions of dollars into artificial intelligence (AI).
The company confirmed to Reuters that the move follows similar initiatives previously introduced in certain divisions in the US and the UK. A Google spokesperson told Reuters that some teams had introduced voluntary exit arrangements with severance in 2025, before the programme was expanded globally in June to support upcoming work.
The programme is intended for staff members who feel their roles no longer match the changing priorities of the company. However, the initiative is not a company-wide offer, as certain business units have been excluded from previous rounds.
In Switzerland, where Google employs about 5,000 people, the company rolled out exit packages in mid-June. Eligible employees in the country had until mid-July to apply for the arrangement, which offered severance of one month's salary for every year of service, up to a maximum of 12 months.
The decision comes as major technology firms reassess workforce needs and spending due to the intensifying race to develop AI capabilities. Earlier rounds of the programme excluded employees from Google Cloud and the AI research division, DeepMind, to retain talent in those strategic areas.
