MOUNTAIN VIEW - Google’s parent company Alphabet Inc has confirmed it will slow hiring for the rest of 2020 as the company’s advertising business continues to suffer due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
“The entire global economy is hurting, and Google and Alphabet are not immune to the effects of this global pandemic,” Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai told staff in an email on Wednesday (15/4) as quoted by Bloomberg.
“We exist in an ecosystem of partnerships and interconnected businesses, many of whom are feeling significant pain.”
In addition, Mr Pichai said 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.”
Unlike most tech companies who have resorted to layoffs in response to the pandemic, Google has not announced any job cuts, although its advertising revenue has been significantly affected as businesses worldwide slash their spending on advertisement.
At the end of 2019, Alphabet had 118,899 full-time employees. It recruited over 20,000 staff throughout the year and announced US$23.5 billion in capital expenditures, largely invested in data centres and computer servers. (MS)