US based technology gaint Google has sent a clear message to its employees: AI is the future, and the organisation wants everyone to be ready for it. Recently, Google’s parent company Alphabet reported a record revenue of $400 billion in 2025. But even with this big success, the company isn’t slowing down. It wants its teams to fully embrace AI as it changes how work gets done.
In an internal message to staff, Philipp Schindler, Google’s Chief Business Officer, said the company began 2026 in a “strong position.” But he added that things in the tech world were moving fast. “But the game is dynamic, the pace is electric, and the stakes are high,” he wrote. Schindler made it clear that Google wants people who are “all in” on its plans to use AI more and more.
Because of this, Google is giving some employees a voluntary exit option. This means that some workers in its Global Business Organization (GBO) can choose to leave the company if they feel they are not ready to fully join the AI-focused future. If they pick the voluntary exit, they will get a severance package.
The GBO team includes people working in areas like advertising products, sales, and global revenue growth. These are roles Google sees as important for how AI changes its business. Schindler said the goal is not to push people out but to make sure the team left is focused on what comes next.
Who is safe ?
Chief Business Officer, Philipp Schindler has also pointed out that some roles are not part of this exit offer. People in large customer-facing sales teams in the US, for example, won’t be eligible for the voluntary exit. The reason given was that changes in those roles would affect customers more directly, and Google wants to avoid disruption.
This kind of voluntary exit programme is not new for Google. In the past year, the company has offered similar exit packages to employees in engineering, Android, and other units, both in the US and in the UK. The idea has been to help Google reshape its teams while giving workers a choice.
Google’s focus on AI and this new exit option come as other tech firms are also realigning their workforces around AI. Companies like Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft have launched restructuring efforts or provided incentives for some employees to leave as they shift strategies.
In simple terms, Google is telling its people that AI will play a huge role in the company’s future. If employees are excited about the change and want to grow with it, they are welcome to stay. If not, they can choose to leave with support. Google’s leadership seems to believe that having a team fully committed to AI is essential for its next chapter.
Syed Ziyauddin is a media and international relations enthusiast with a strong academic and professional foundation. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Media from Jamia Millia Islamia and a Master’s in International Relations (West Asia) from the same institution.
He has work with organizations like ANN Media, TV9 Bharatvarsh, NDTV and Centre for Discourse, Fusion, and Analysis (CDFA) his core interest includes Tech, Auto and global affairs.
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