<p>(Reuters) – As part of its ongoing cost-cutting measures, Fitbit co-founders James Park and Eric Friedman have both left the firm, along with hundreds of other workers at Alphabet’s Google.</p>
<p><img decoding=”async” class=”alignnone wp-image-347764″ src=”https://www.theindiaprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/theindiaprint.com-google-continues-to-lay-off-employees-from-its-hardware-and-assistant-teams-as-ai-.jpg” alt=”theindiaprint.com google continues to lay off employees from its hardware and assistant teams as ai” width=”1074″ height=”716″ title=”Google Continues To Lay Off Employees From Its Hardware And Assistant Teams As AI Takes Over 9″ srcset=”https://www.theindiaprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/theindiaprint.com-google-continues-to-lay-off-employees-from-its-hardware-and-assistant-teams-as-ai-.jpg 510w, https://www.theindiaprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/theindiaprint.com-google-continues-to-lay-off-employees-from-its-hardware-and-assistant-teams-as-ai–150×100.jpg 150w” sizes=”(max-width: 1074px) 100vw, 1074px” /></p>
<p>Google said that it would cut hundreds of positions at its Voice Assistant division and that the bulk of the augmented reality (AR) team will be let go. A few hundred positions will also be lost in the hardware team, which is in charge of Pixel, Nest, and Fitbit. According to the corporation, hundreds of positions in the core engineering team of the search giant are also affected.</p>
<p>Fitbit is a health and fitness monitoring startup that Google purchased for $2.1 billion in 2021. Since then, Google has been releasing updates for its Pixel Watch, which competes with several of Fitbit’s products as well as the Apple Watch.</p>
<p>“Several of our teams implemented modifications in the second half of 2023 to improve productivity and efficiency as well as to allocate resources in line with the most important product goals. A Google representative told Reuters in a statement that “some teams are continuing to make these kinds of organizational changes, which include some role eliminations globally.”</p>
<p>The representative did not say how many positions are affected. The number of individuals involved in the Google Assistant software and other teams is not readily apparent.</p>
<p>Following the success of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, firms such as Microsoft and Google are placing bets on the growing use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) technology, which coincides with some teams reorganizing.</p>
<p>Google revealed ambitions to upgrade its virtual assistant with creative AI features last year. AI would enable the assistant to do tasks like assisting with travel arrangements or email catch-up, followed by follow-up inquiries.</p>
<p>Alphabet said in January 2023 that it will eliminate 12,000 positions, or 6% of its total staff worldwide.</p>
<p>182,381 people worked at Alphabet worldwide as of September 2023.</p>
