Google extends voluntary buyout offers to employees in five countries

The offers, which include severance, already existed in the United States and Britain. Reports say the program began in June. DeepMind is excluded, as Google Cloud was from earlier buyouts. Google is trying to control costs as its AI spending rises. It has not disclosed how many employees accepted or whether more countries will follow. In at least one division, layoffs followed voluntary offers. Microsoft recently announced a similar program.

Source: Reuters, published on November 4, 2026.