An eight-month pregnant Google employee, about to go on maternity leave, has shared a touching account of how she handled the news that she is one of 12,000 employees laid off by the company.
Google’s parent company, Alphabet, announced Friday that it will cut about 12,000 jobs globally, citing a changing economic reality as it became the latest US tech giant to undertake large-scale restructuring. The cuts represent just over 6 percent of the total workforce.
The layoffs seemed structural rather than performance-oriented, as program manager Katherine Wong says she was fired even after a “positive performance review.”
“The first thought that came to my mind was, ‘Why me? Why now?’ It was hard to process and digest, especially the news that came after a positive performance review. As a PgM my first instinct was to make a plan, but this is clearly one of the hardest projects I’ve ever dealt with because the timing is really bad. It’s almost impossible for me to get a job when I’m 34 weeks pregnant and about to go on maternity leave for months,” Katherine Wong wrote in a detailed Linkedin post.
For months, the search giant had refrained from thinning its ranks as tech giants such as Amazon.com Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Meta Platforms Inc. thousands of workers laid off. In a message to staff announcing the layoffs, Alphabet Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai suggested the cuts as a way for the company to sharpen its focus on artificial intelligence.
“People are worried about my baby and well-being. I didn’t let my negative emotions get the better of me because I have a little one in the house that needed to be taken care of, but I couldn’t control my shaking hands. It’s such a mixed feeling. I love #Google and especially my team #GoogleDomains because I feel like we are a family I’m grateful that my team still supports me even now I’m proud to be in a start-up like teamwork is one of the few that shows positive business growth in such challenging times,” Ms. Wong wrote.
“I want to be able to work #opentowork. But the reality is I need to focus on the last leg of my pregnancy journey and make sure my baby comes into the world safe and healthy. I know it will be ok and will do my best to achieve that,” she added.
To cushion the blow, Google announced that affected employees will receive six months of healthcare, job placement and immigration support. Employees outside the US will be supported in accordance with local practices.
“The fact that these changes will affect the lives of Googlers weighs heavily on me, and I take full responsibility for the decisions that have led us here,” said Mr. Pichai.
The cuts, Pichai said, would “sharpen our focus” on priorities, including artificial intelligence. “Being limited in some areas allows us to bet a lot in others,” he said.
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