Google expands voluntary exit offers to five countries

Google began offering voluntary exit packages in June to some employees in Canada, France, Germany, Japan and Switzerland, expanding a program previously used in parts of the United States and Britain. The company confirmed the expansion, but the number of employees who accepted the latest offers could not be established. The program offers employees the option to leave with severance. Google said some teams introduced voluntary exit packages in 2025 and that the program was expanded to a few countries in June. It described the offers as supporting its work ahead, without giving a total cost or specifying how many employees were eligible. Details from Switzerland, provided by three people familiar with the program, indicate that it covered multiple divisions but excluded DeepMind, Google’s artificial intelligence research unit. Applicants were told by mid-July whether their requests had been accepted, and employees began leaving in August, the people said. Those familiar with the Swiss program said accepted employees received one month of salary for each year of service, capped at 12 months. One person said at least four employees in a team of about 50 had accepted. That...