【科網裁員潮】Google母企擬全球削12,000個職位　相當於裁員6%（附通函全文）

彭博社引述內部通函指，Google母企Alphabet（美：GOOG）擬全球削減12000個職位，相當於集團全球人手約6%。報道引述Alphabet行政總裁Sundar Pichai向員工發出的通函，宣布受裁員計劃影響的美國Google員工會在今日收到電郵通知。

Pichai在函件中表示，是次裁員會在集團全球各部門執行，又形容他要為Alphabet「走向裁員負上全責（full responsibility for the decisions that led us here）」，並指在過去兩年高速增長中，集團加速聘請人手，但最新經濟現實已經轉變。

艱難的經濟周期是重要時刻重新設計成本基礎

Pichai稱，艱難的經濟周期是「重要的時刻以突出我們的重點、重新設計我們的成本基礎、將我們的人才和資本用於我們的最高優先事項」。他指，公司在人工智能方面有「擺在我們面前的實質性機會」，而人工智能是一個關鍵的投資領域。Pichai亦表示，Alphabet將向受影響的美國員工，支付16周遣散費、6個月健康福利，其他地區將按當地法律及慣例獲得補償。

Alphabet啟動解僱疑早有先兆，去年10月該公司公布季績，盈利按年降27%至139億美元，未達到分析師預期，Pichai當時已稱公司將抑制支出。去年11月，TCI基金管理公司發公開信，要求Alphabet設下利潤率目標、增加股票回購等，更直指Alphabet員工太多，而平均每名員工的成本亦過高。

近期多家美國互聯網巨頭都宣布大幅裁員，繼Facebook母企Meta（美：META），亞馬遜（美：AMZN）和微軟（美：MSFT）近期都宣布減員逾一萬人，相關報道可見：

【AMZN】亞馬遜確認裁員逾1.8萬人　高於市場預期、創今輪科網裁員最高紀錄

【MSFT】微軟計劃裁減1萬人　料遣散費及重組將耗資12億美元

【Facebook母企】Meta朱克伯格炒1.1萬人　佔員工總數13%

【TWTR】Twitter再傳大幅裁員　馬斯克據指明日公布裁走一半員工、涉約3,700人

通函全文：

Googlers，

I have some difficult news to share. We've decided to reduce our workforce by approximately 12,000 roles. We've already sent a separate email to employees in the US who are affected. In other countries， this process will take longer due to local laws and practices.

This will mean saying goodbye to some incredibly talented people we worked hard to hire and have loved working with. I'm deeply sorry for that. The fact that these changes will impact the lives of Googlers weighs heavily on me， and I take full responsibility for the decisions that led us here.

Over the past two years we've seen periods of dramatic growth. To match and fuel that growth， we hired for a different economic reality than the one we face today.

I am confident about the huge opportunity in front of us thanks to the strength of our mission， the value of our products and services，and our early investments in AI. To fully capture it， we'll need to make tough choices. So， we've undertaken a rigorous review across product areas and functions to ensure that our people and roles are aligned with our highest priorities as a company. The roles we're eliminating reflect the outcome of that review. They cut across Alphabet， product areas， functions， levels and regions.

To the Googlers who are leaving us： Thank you for working so hard to help people and businesses everywhere. Your contributions have been invaluable and we are grateful for them.

While this transition won't be easy， we're going to support employees as they look for their next opportunity.

In the US：

We'll pay employees during the full notification period （minimum 60 days）.

We'll also offer a severance package starting at 16 weeks salary plus two weeks for every additional year at Google， and accelerate at least 16 weeks of GSU vesting.

We'll pay 2022 bonuses and remaining vacation time.

We'll be offering 6 months of healthcare， job placement services， and immigration support for those affected.

Outside the US， we'll support employees in line with local practices.

As an almost 25-year-old company， we're bound to go through difficult economic cycles. These are important moments to sharpen our focus， reengineer our cost base， and direct our talent and capital to our highest priorities.

Being constrained in some areas allows us to bet big on others. Pivoting the company to be AI-first years ago led to groundbreaking advances across our businesses and the whole industry.

Thanks to those early investments， Google's products are better than ever. And we're getting ready to share some entirely new experiences for users， developers and businesses， too. We have a substantial opportunity in front of us with AI across our products and are prepared to approach it boldly and responsibly.

All this work is a continuation of the "healthy disregard for the impossible" that's been core to our culture from the beginning. When I look around Google today， I see that same spirit and energy driving our efforts. That's why I remain optimistic about our ability to deliver on our mission， even on our toughest days. Today is certainly one of them.

I'm sure you have many questions about how we'll move forward. We'll be organizing a town hall on Monday. Check your calendar for details. Until then， please take good care of yourselves as you absorb this difficult news. As part of that， if you are just starting your work day， please feel free to work from home today.