Google has, so far taken, steps to simplify operations, cut red tape and make itself more productive without mass layoffs, but employees are braced for the worst. This year, Google employees have seen their tech industry peers get pink slips amid the current economic challenges. Last month, Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, let go of 11,000 employees, or about 13 percent of its work force. Amazon also began laying off about 10,000 people in corporate and technology jobs, or about 3 percent of its corporate employees. Anxieties have risen at Google since the company adopted a rigorous employee evaluation system, and some workers fear that data from those evaluations it may be used to cull the team. Google is coming off its weakest quarter for revenue growth since 2013, other than one period during the pandemic.
