According to some Twitter reports by friends of Google employees, Google has given management the mandate to reduce headcount at Google and layoff engineers and other employees, even on critical projects. Yes, Google is trimming the fat, cutting back and optimizing its workforce.

Sure, it’s difficult to take a Tweet seriously, but responses to @MaryHodder have been affirmative, and several friends have confirmed that 4 to 5 year employees with solid Google stocks have been laid off or friendly pressured to move on.



This description of the Google Layoffs from @MaryHodder’s Twitter thread :

Talkng to friend laid off from Google Friday. Others in their eng. gp as well. They don’t want to discuss publicly, but R ok w. my telling. We think Goog is quietly laying ppl off so as not to alert press. Mgrs have mandate to reduce headcnt, no matter how critical the project. Full time eng on a critical path project. so were others.. 4-5 yr employees. Oddly, before this wk 2 othr Goog frnds told me uncomfortably they want to leave..was shocked, they have great jobs, but pressure that Google just wasn’t fun place anymore, but now think it could be really unpleasantly bad for ppl. don’t know, just anecdotal. These ppl sounded pretty uncomfortable. working 18 hr days .. if you have the big stock, might make you want to go.

For more discussion on the breaking Google Layoff news, be sure to monitor Twitter @ http://search.twitter.com/search?q=goog

Hodder’s credentials as being on the Advisory Boards of Sphere, Technorati, Blogher and her connections in the blogging and search industries help to back up these Tweets and “rumours”

For additional and timely reading, I also suggest John Borthwick’s Google Next Victim Of Creative Destruction? (GOOG)

Hat Tip to Frank Watson