Google is once again reducing its workers, but this time without issuing pink slips. Instead, the internet behemoth is relying on voluntary buyouts, giving US-based staff in various businesses the option of leaving discreetly with compensation.

According to CNBC, the latest wave is aimed at teams in Knowledge & Information (K&I), which encompasses search, advertisements, and commerce, as well as central engineering, marketing, and research.

While the actual number of exits is unknown, internal memos obtained by CNBC imply that the buyouts are a planned move rather than a frantic purge.

“If you’re disengaged or underperforming, this is your way out. But if you’re thriving, stay the course…We have ambitious plans and tons to get done,” Google’s K&I chief Nick Fox stated bluntly in an internal memo to the employees.

This move marks a cultural shift in Google, as buyouts have become the preferred tool for layoffs after the mass layoffs in 2023 shook employee trust. The management of the tech giant deems the former “quiet, less dramatic and more humane”.

Voluntary exits have already been offered to employees in various departments of Google, including hardware, human resources, finance, legal, and now reached the core product team.

Interestingly, many of the voluntary exit offers are linked with return-to-office mandates, with remote employees living within 50 miles of Google campuses being pulled back into hybrid shifts.

The company has also been frugal with internal training budgets, where skill-building is being prioritised for its Artificial Intelligence (AI) strategy.