Google Axes Hundreds of AR Hardware Staff in Division Reorganization

Google's reorganization of its Devices and Services teams ended with hundreds of employees under the augmented reality wing laid off.

Majority of the layoffs will happen in the first-party AR Hardware teams in a move seen as the tech giant fully committing to OEM-partnerships than to produce its own AR components, 9to5Google reported.

Affected employees are offered the chance to apply for other open positions in the company, as well as receive transition support if they decide to leave Google for good.

Also Read : Google is Laying Off Contractors Who Voted to Unionize

Fitbit Execs Leave Google En Masse

The layoff announcement comes a week after Fitbit leaders, including co-founders James Park and Eric Friedman, left the company. No official reason was given for the departure.

Park founded the wearable tech firm in 2007 and has been its CEO and President since.

Google acquired Fitbit in November 2019 for $2.1 billion. Park is among the few original executives who remained in the company after the acquisition.

The South Korean entrepreneur has since taken a more modest role as vice president and general manager for the company in 2021.

Despite the departure of Park and other leaders, Google said that the Fitbit initiative will continue "building on the momentum with Pixel Watch."

The tech firm has recently been noticed to be pushing Fitbit customers to its flagship Pixel watches by removing some beloved features and quietly pulling Fitbit devices in several markets.

How Will the Corporate Restructure Affect Google?

Google is no stranger to axing entire initiatives and their respective teams in the past.

Earlier in August, the tech giant shut down its Iris project, a headset initiative supposed to rival the headgear from Meta and Apple.

For the most part, Google still remains "deeply committed to other AR initiatives" with its AR features in the Lens and Maps app.

The company is also using the AR system in brand partnerships, including the collaboration with Samsung to develop a new headgear powered by Android XR and Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2.