In January last year, [Google](https://mashable.com/article/google-layoffs-assistant?taid=65a12e77b4ed2700015e0e45&utm_campaign=trueAnthem%3A+Manual&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter) captured attention by laying off hundreds of its staff. Now, as January 2025 nears its end, the tech behemoth is once again trimming its workforce—but with a different strategy.

Rick Osterloh, Google’s Senior Vice President of Devices and Services, has seemingly issued a memo to the employees of the Platform & Devices team, presenting voluntary buyouts, as reported by [9to5Google](https://9to5google.com/2025/01/30/pixel-android-voluntary-exit-employees/). While the details regarding the severance packages remain unspecified, this initiative allows employees the choice to depart the company with some compensation. It is also unclear if Google aims to reduce a specific number of employees through this program.

It’s crucial to highlight that this offer is not extended across the entire company. It is confined to the Platforms & Services division, which was created last year following a reorganization that combined teams responsible for software like Android and Chrome with those focusing on hardware such as [Pixel phones](https://mashable.com/review/google-pixel-9) and Nest devices. Employees engaged in other sectors, including Google Search or the company’s burgeoning AI projects, are apparently not affected by this situation.

Although voluntary buyouts represent a more humane option compared to mass layoffs, the end result is essentially the same: a streamlined hardware and software team. This likely indicates that fewer staff members will be left to manage the same—or potentially increased—workloads.