Alphabet’s Life Sciences Arm certainly fired staff and eliminated the entire device program on Monday.
According to Business Insider, CEO Stephen Gillett announced the “difficult decision” to defeat the program in a staff memo.
“We have built our legacy for many years on world-class, developing and innovative medical devices,” wrote Gillett, saying that it “needs difficult decisions” as it truly refocuses on AI and data infrastructure.
The move continues Alphabet’s aggressive efforts to invest in AI while cutting costs elsewhere. The company has implemented multiple layoffs in recent years, including a reduction in HR and cloud units in February and a voluntary exit program for employees on more than 25,000 platforms and devices in the spring.
Alphabet’s biggest recent layoffs significantly reduced 12,000 jobs (6% of the workforce at the time) in January 2023 in anticipation of a slowdown in the economy.
In the same month, ChatGpt became the fastest growing consumer software application in history, attracting over 100 million users in two months and launched a generative AI boom that drives today’s high-tech industry priorities.
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