Canadian employees at Google and Microsoft have been included in separate voluntary exit programs, placing workers at two of the world’s biggest technology companies inside workforce restructuring efforts as investment in artificial intelligence accelerates.
Alphabet Inc. confirmed to Reuters that Google began offering buyout packages in June to selected staff in Canada, France, Germany, Japan, and Switzerland.
Earlier, Microsoft announced its own voluntary exit program for eligible employees in Canada, India, the UK, and the US. Roughly 60,000 workers worldwide qualify, representing about 27% of Microsoft’s 223,000 employees as of June 30, according to Reuters.
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Google’s buyout expansion comes despite continued growth across Alphabet’s business. Its September 30 workforce reached 204,757, up 14,590 from a year earlier, according to its recent earnings filing.
Quarterly revenue rose 25% to $127.6 billion, while Google Cloud revenue more than doubled to $30.7 billion, yet the company is directing substantially more capital toward infrastructure.
Alphabet spent $51.4 billion on capital expenditures in the third quarter and maintained full-year guidance of $195 billion to $205 billion. Finance chief Anat Ashkenazi said research and development expenses increased 36%, driven partly by compensation for AI talent.
On the other hand, Microsoft said its offer is limited to participating organizations and employees at level 70 or below. Eligibility varies by team, and participants receive financial and career-transition support.
It has not published a Canadian uptake figure.
Google’s international program builds on earlier voluntary exits in the US and Britain. Reuters reported that DeepMind workers were excluded from the Swiss offer, based on people familiar with that program.
The timing differs significantly: Google’s Canadian offers date to June, while Microsoft’s program was formally launched in late October.
