Google’s Senior Vice President Hardware, Rick Osterloh, speaks during a launch event in San Francisco, October 4, 2017.
Stephen Lam | Reuters
Google is offering buyouts to employees in its “Platforms and Devices” unit ahead of expected cuts.
That unit includes more than 25,000 full-time employees who work on Android, Chrome, ChromeOS, Google Photos, Google One, Pixel, Fitbit and Nest, according to internal documents reviewed by CNBC. The voluntary exit enrollment applies to full-time employees in the U.S. It’s unclear how many of the unit’s full-time workers are based in the U.S.
“This gives eligible P&D Googlers in my direct-reporting org the ability to voluntarily leave the company with a severance package,” wrote Rick Osterloh, senior vice president of Platforms and Devices, in a memo to employees Thursday that was viewed by CNBC.
The buyouts are a signal of expected cuts within Google as it continues prioritizing artificial intelligence. In October, new CFO Anat Ashkenazi said one of her top priorities would be to drive more cost cutting as Google expands its spending on AI infrastructure in 2025.
“Any organization can always push a little further and I’ll be looking at additional opportunities,” she said, referring to cost cutting.
A Google spokesperson confirmed the buyout program to CNBC, saying it comes after the company combined its Android and Pixel divisions last April.
“There’s tremendous momentum on this team and with so much important work ahead, we want everyone to be deeply committed to our mission and focused on building great products, with speed and efficiency,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
The “voluntary exit plan” may be a fit for employees who are struggling to meet the demands of their jobs, the unit’s hybrid work environment or whose passions don’t align with the division’s mission and goal, Osterloh said. The program is the “right next step” for the unit as it aims to “operate with more efficiency and velocity,” Osterloh added.
Employees have until Feb. 20 to enroll in the exit program. Those who volunteer will find out whether they’ve been accepted on March 25, a memo states.
‘Offering buyouts first is what we asked for’
Some employees praised Google’s decision to offer buyouts rather than immediately laying off employees, according to internal posts viewed by CNBC.
“The P&D email portends layoffs, which sucks but offering buyouts first is what we asked for, is the right thing to do, and Rick deserves a lot of credit for delivering,” one employee said in an internal post that received hundreds of upvotes.
Employees this week were circulating an internal petition titled “job security” ahead of expected cost cuts, CNBC reported Tuesday. One of their asks was for the company to offer voluntary buyouts before conducting layoffs.
Last week, Google said it would be acquiring some of the engineering team from HTC Vive, one of the top virtual-reality headset makers, to “accelerate the development of the Android XR platform across the headset and glasses ecosystem.”
In August, Google announced new AI features for Android devices and directly installed them in its homegrown Pixel devices, a move that put its AI in front of consumers before Apple could introduce its Apple Intelligence AI suite of features to iPhone users.
Though Platforms and Device is not the juggernaut moneymaker that Google’s search ads business is, the division’s revenue rose to $10.66 billion in the third quarter, up nearly 28% from $8.34 billion the year prior. Google reported total revenue of $88.27 billion that quarter.
Google, like other tech companies, faces the potential risk of rising hardware costs if President Donald Trump’s blanket tariffs go into effect. Trump is expected to reveal more details on which specific tariffs will be placed on imports from China, Canada, and Mexico in the coming days.
In January 2024, Google laid off some employees from its hardware and central engineering teams, as well as workers in Google Assistant, its voice-activated software product.
Tech news outlet 9to5Google first reported some of details of the unit’s voluntary exit program.
Apple shares popped 5% Wednesday, ahead of an Oval Office event touting an update to the company’s stated plans to spend and invest in the U.S.
CEO Tim Cook will join President Donald Trump for the announcement set for 4:30 p.m. ET.
Apple will up its previous commitment, made in February, from $500 billion to $600 billion over the next four years, a White House official told CNBC.
It will also announce a new manufacturing program called the American Manufacturing Program, the official said.
Cook has had a mixed relationship with Trump over the past year. While Trump has praised the Apple CEO in the past, in recent months he has said he has a “problem” with the executive and has pushed for Apple to assemble its iPhones in the U.S., not China or India.
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Apple faces over $1 billion in increased costs this quarter because of Trump’s tariffs on imports —primarily related to China — and Cook reminded investors last week that “the vast majority” of its products would be subject to pending new tariffs under a Section 232 investigation.
“We obviously try to optimize our supply chain, and ultimately we will do more in the United States,” Cook said.
Match Group shares popped more than 10% on Wednesday after the online dating company issued upbeat guidance and said new products are showing promise as it attempts to turnaround its business.
The Dallas-based company said it expected revenues between $910 million and $920 million in the current quarter, beating a $890 million estimate from analysts polled by FactSet.
“We are operating like a company that is just getting started, and we believe the best chapters of the category and company are still ahead,” said CEO Spencer Rascoff during an earnings call Tuesday. “We are moving with urgency, we are obsessed with the product and we are building for the long term.”
Over the last year, Match and the broader online dating industry have grappled with slowing user engagement. The company has added more tools and features to its apps, including Tinder and Hinge, to lure back customers, especially Gen Z.
Match has also been the target of activists investors such as Starboard Value, which has pushed the company to innovate, cut costs and improve profitability or consider going private.
In an effort to revamp its business, Match appointed Zillow co-founder Rascoff as its new CEO in February. Under his direction, the company has implemented new artificial intelligence-powered tools and slashed roles.
Match also added new features such as AI-powered discovery to many of its services and a double date feature on Tinder. Rascoff on Tuesday said that 90% or customers using this feature are under age 30.
The company will also target the younger market with features geared toward college students and is planning to reinvest $50 million into new product development, Rascoff said.
In 2026 and 2027, Rascoff said he expects AI innovation and international growth to expand its Hinge platform’s leadership as Tinder becomes a “low-pressure, serendipitous experience designed for Gen Z.” Hinge, he said, is also on track to deliver quarterly year-over-year growth in 2025.
“Across the board, we believe the category will enter a new era, with renewed trust, strong demand and long-term growth potential,” he said.
Match posted in-line earnings of 49 cents per share. Revenues reached $864, topping the $854 million expected by analysts.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman speaks during the US Federal Reserve Board of Governors’ “Integrated Review of the Capital Framework for Large Banks Conference” at the Federal Reserve in Washington, DC, on July 22, 2025.
Mandel Ngan | AFP | Getty Images
OpenAI on Wednesday announced it will offer its ChatGPT Enterprise product to U.S. federal agencies for $1 through the next year, making its technology available to the federal executive branch workforce at “essentially no cost.”
The company has been working to deepen its ties to lawmakers and regulators in recent months, and it will open its first office in Washington, D.C., early next year.
OpenAI said participating agencies will get access to its frontier models through ChatGPT Enterprise, and it will also offer access to features like Advanced Voice Mode for an additional 60-day period.
The company has partnered with the U.S. General Services Administration to launch the initiative.
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“Helping government work better – making services faster, easier, and more reliable—is a key way to bring the benefits of AI to everyone,” OpenAI said in a blog post.
In June, OpenAI launched a new offering called OpenAI for Government and said it was awarded a contract of up to $200 million by the U.S. Department of Defense.
The company is currently engaging in talks with investors about a potential stock sale at a valuation of roughly $500 billion, as CNBC previously reported.
OpenAI announced a $40 billion funding round in March at a $300 billion valuation, by far the largest amount ever raised by a private tech company.