Citing the “uncertain global economic outlook,” the CEO said Google will slow its hiring pace for the second half of 2022. Google hired 10,000 workers in the second quarter, per Pichai. The Google chief went on to say that the company will consolidate “where investments overlap” and streamline its processes. Essentially, Google is asking its staff to work harder, differently. Tech companies of all shapes and sizes have laid off workers in the face of a looming recession. This includes Google, Microsoft, Tesla and other corporate giants, as well as comparatively much smaller businesses like Bird, Rivian and Coinbase. Pichai’s memo didn’t mention layoffs, but phrases like “streamlining” and “consolidation” tend to evoke such things. Alphabet, for its part, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the memo. First-quarter net income fell 8% year over year to $16.44 billion. The company will report second-quarter earnings on July 26.
