Google Layoffs Entire Python Team for Cheaper Labour, says Report

Google has reportedly made significant layoffs by firing its entire Python team. The team comprised ten members many of whom were core Python developers. The news first broke out when affected employees reported the matter on the Hacker News website.

The Python team was responsible for maintaining the internal Python, runtimes, and toolchains collaborating with the open-source Python community, and supporting a large part of the Python ecosystem at Google. The team seems to have been understaffed for years with fewer than 10 people handling a significant workload.

The layoffs were part of a broader reorganization and outsourcing practices at Google, where the company is simplifying its structures and aligning resources to its biggest product priorities. The company is simply aiming to streamline expenses and align resources with its major product priorities

As speculated the Python team is being replaced by a new team based in Munich, Germany as the company finds it much more cost-efficient. Although Google found ‘Cheaper Labour’ in Munich it leads to concerns about the loss of experienced Python developers and the potential impact it will have on Google’s Python-based projects.

The employees wiped out by the company have expressed their grievance over the loss that they described as the ‘best job’ of their career. The continued layoffs happening at Alphabet have also sparked broader discussions about Google’s employment practices and the treatment of its workforce.

Google has laid off their Python Foundation team and asked them to train their replacements who will be in the Munich office.



This is similar to layoffs in their finance department a few weeks ago where some positions were moved outside the country where they’re cheaper. 😬 pic.twitter.com/tVBh1dWLli

— Dare Obasanjo🐀 (@Carnage4Life) April 28, 2024

The Python team laid off by Google was a small but critical group responsible for maintaining and supporting Python projects at the company. The layoffs seem like an effort of reorganization, but the losses raised concerns about the future of employability at Google.