Google Cloud Reduces Cyber Threat Hunting Staff Amid Mandiant Security Division Layoffs

It has been claimed that Google has slashed positions across the Cloud division in the past two weeks, adding to the lengthy list of IT layoffs this year. It has been reported that layoffs have affected Google's cybersecurity departments, including the Mandiant team and the Google Threat Intelligence Group (GTIG).

The result is a reflection of the industry-wide trend of reducing the workforce. One of Google's most prominent security sections, the Threat Intelligence Group was affected by the downsizing. This team is well-known for its published studies on cyber threats and state-sponsored hackers. After the layoffs, employees started talking about them on LinkedIn.

Repercussions of Google’s Recent Layoffs

According to recent reports in the media, the cuts affected more than just one group. All employees of Google Cloud, including those at the cybersecurity company Mandiant, which Google bought in 2022, were impacted. No one knows for sure how many people were affected. A media report added Google has justified its decisions on multiple occasions by pointing to the necessity to reinvest in high-growth areas.

A representative from Google told a news source that the company is always looking for ways to improve its internal processes so it can better respond to the changing needs of its consumers and the industry as a whole. Layoffs in the tech industry have been on the rise, with Google Cloud being just the most recent example. Now IT firms are citing the needs of the AI era as an excuse to lay off workers.

Unemployment on the Rise in the US and UK

The wider US labour market displayed new indications of stress against this background of corporate reorganisation. Data issued on 4 June by the Labour Department showed that initial applications for unemployment benefits increased by 13,000 to 225,000 in the week ending 30 May. Weekly claims have not been this high since February, according to that number.

The median reading of 215,000 claims was predicted by economists polled by a media agency. Also reaching a record high since February, the four-week moving average of initial applications reached 214,750. This statistic is used to smooth out volatility from week to week. Some of the change in the numbers was probably due to the Memorial Day holiday period, analysts said. The UK job market is also worsening at an even faster rate.

Workers in the area are more vulnerable to layoffs than they have been in over five years. There were over 37,000 possible layoff notices filed in the four weeks leading up to May 24th. The Insolvency Service reports that this is a 62% rise from the corresponding period last year.