Google to slow hiring for rest of 2020, CEO tells staff

Google parent Alphabet Inc. is slowing hiring for the remainder of the year, the most drastic action by the web search giant since the Covid-19 pandemic began battering its advertising business several weeks ago.

Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai told staff about the decision in an email on Wednesday. He also highlighted other areas of cost cutting, saying the company will be “recalibrating the focus and pace of our investments in areas like data centers and machines, and non business essential marketing and travel.”

A Google spokesperson confirmed the memo and added that the company will maintain hiring momentum “in a small number of strategic areas,” while “on-boarding the many people who’ve been hired but haven’t started yet.” At the end of 2019, Alphabet employed 118,899 people full-time.