Google's parent company Alphabet Inc is laying off 12,000 employees across global, its chief executive CEO Sundar Pichai said in a staff memo. This comes just days after rival Microsoft Corp reportedly announced 10,000 job cuts.

"I have some difficult news to share. We’ve decided to reduce our workforce by approximately 12,000 roles. We’ve already sent a separate email to employees in the US who are affected. In other countries, this process will take longer due to local laws and practices," Google CEO said.

Taking full responsibility for the decision, he said, "The fact that these changes will impact the lives of Googlers weighs heavily on me, and I take full responsibility for the decisions that led us here."

He said the layoffs reflect a 'rigorous review' carried out by Google of its operations. The jobs being eliminated cut across Alphabet, product areas, functions, levels and regions, Pichai said.

He further said, "I am confident about the huge opportunity in front of us thanks to the strength of our mission, the value of our products and services, and our early investments in AI. To fully capture it, we’ll need to make tough choices. So, we’ve undertaken a rigorous review across product areas and functions to ensure that our people and roles are aligned with our highest priorities as a company. The roles we’re eliminating reflect the outcome of that review. They cut across Alphabet, product areas, functions, levels and regions."

Read his full statement HERE.

Earlier this week, Microsoft announced 10,000 job cuts or nearly 5 per cent of its workforce. Amazon is cutting 18,000 jobs and Facebook parent Meta is shedding 11,000 positions.

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