The company has let go of 1,000 employees combined in January and now in February. Alphabet’s Waymo is known for being a cutting-edge technology company, so it’s no surprise that they’re making these layoffs. The 209 people who have been let go this month combined with the 1,000 employees who were let go in January shows that Waymo is still looking to lower their costs and get their employees reductions.
Many people are upset about the layoffs at Waymo, as they believe that skilled engineering employees are key to the company’s success. Others see it as necessary budget-cutting, and point out that Waymo isn’t bringing in much revenue yet to support its operations. Regardless of people’s feelings about the layoffs, they are a necessary part of Waymo’s strategic direction moving forward.
Waymo cut 100 jobs in January and more recently announced another round of layoffs. Employees say that the cuts, which total around 340 employees, are only a temporary measure and that Waymo is still a frontrunner in autonomous technology. Some analysts speculate that the layoffs are not just the product of an impending recession, but rather evidence that Waymo may not be earning as much money from its parent company as it had hoped.
While Waymo’s decision to start testing driverless vehicles may be seen as a positive step, the company’s recent announcement of layoffs is sure to cause concern. The scale of these cuts – in addition to Waymo’s other concerns about its autonomous driving technology – suggest that the company is still far from being able to generate enough income from this technology to cover its cash burn. This suggests that it will likely be several more years – even if all goes according to plan – before Waymo’s driverless taxis are available on a wide scale.
Waymo has been positioning itself as a leader in the self-driving industry and is poised to take advantage of continued growth in the market. The company has already developed a strong footprint in San Francisco, and is now expanding its operations into Phoenix, demonstrating its capabilities to deploy and commercialize its self-driving technology. Waymo’s abundant opportunities suggest that it will continue to dominate the field, setting the standard for future entrants.
