Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai Dismisses AI Job Fears, Emphasizes Expansion and Human Talent

Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai dismisses AI job fears, emphasizes expansion plans | TechCrunch

In a Bloomberg interview tonight, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai pushed back against concerns that AI could eventually make half the company's 180,000-person workforce redundant. Instead, Pichai stressed the company's commitment to growth through at least next year. "I expect we will grow from our current engineering phase even into next year, because it allows us to do more," Pichai said, adding that AI is making engineers more productive by eliminating tedious tasks and enabling them to focus on more impactful work. Rather than replacing workers, he referred to AI as "an accelerator" that will drive new product development, thereby creating demand for more employees. Alphabet has staged numerous layoffs in recent years, though so far, cuts in 2025 appear to be more targeted than in previous years. It reportedly parted ways with less than 100 people in Google's cloud division earlier this year and, more recently, hundreds more in its platforms and devices unit. In 2024 and 2023, the cuts were far more severe, with 12,000 people dropped from the company in 2023 and at least another 1,000 employees laid off last year. Looking forward, Pichai pointed to Alphabet's expanding ventures like Waymo autonomous vehicles, quantum computing initiatives, and YouTube's explosive growth as evidence of innovation opportunities that continually bubble up. He noted YouTube's scale in India alone, with 100 million channels and 15,000 channels boasting over one million subscribers. At one point, Pichai said trying to think too far ahead is "pointless." But he also acknowledged the legitimacy of fears about job displacement, saying when asked about Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei's recent comments that AI could erode half of entry-level white collar jobs within five years, "I respect that . . .I think it's important to voice those concerns and debate them." As the interview wrapped up, Pichai was asked about the limits of AI, and whether it's possible that the world might never achieve artificial general intelligence, meaning AI that's as smart as humans at everything. He quickly paused before answering. "There's a lot of forward progress ahead with the paths we are on, not only the set of ideas we are working on today, [but] some of the newer ideas we are experimenting with," he said. "I'm very optimistic on seeing a lot of progress. But you know," he added, "you've always had these technology curves where you may hit a temporary plateau. So are we currently on an absolute path to AGI? I don't think anyone can say for sure."

Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai says AI won't lead to job cuts, will be "an accelerator"

Many major tech firms have announced job cuts in recent years The CEO of Google's parent company Alphabet has hit back at fears growing AI adoption will lead to job cuts. Speaking in an interview with Bloomberg, Sundar Pichai said AI could actually help Alphabet grow its workforce, rather than lead to redundancies and losses. "I expect we will grow from our current engineering phase even into next year, because it allows us to do more," Pichai said, noting AI could be "an accelerator" driving new product development, which in turn needs more human workers. Alphabet has made several large-scale layoffs in recent years, with 12,000 workers cut in January 2023, and around a thousand let go over the course of 2024, with Google also announcing several hundred more cuts in 2025. However, many of the largest technology firms in the world have also been forced to make similar cuts, such as Microsoft, which recently announced 7,000 roles would go. Pichai was hopeful about the impact AI will have on Alphabet's workers, noting the technology could free them from repetitive or dull admin work to tackle more creative tasks. He did acknowledge concerns about AI taking human jobs, and addressed recent comments by Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei suggesting AI could remove half of entry-level white-collar jobs within five years by saying, "I respect that ... I think it's important to voice those concerns and debate them." "There's a lot of forward progress ahead with the paths we are on, not only the set of ideas we are working on today, [but] some of the newer ideas we are experimenting with," Pichai added. "I'm very optimistic on seeing a lot of progress - but you've always had these technology curves where you may hit a temporary plateau. So are we currently on an absolute path to AGI? I don't think anyone can say for sure."

Alphabet CEO Expects to Keep Hiring Engineers as AI Advances

Pichai stressed that human talent remains key amid AI hype He said that AI models continue to make basic mistakes He said Google took a long time testing AI Overviews Alphabet Inc.'s Sundar Pichai said his company will keep expanding its engineering ranks at least into 2026, stressing human talent remains key even as Google's parent ramps up AI investments. Speaking at the Bloomberg Tech conference in San Francisco, Pichai said he will continue to invest in engineering in the near future. US tech leaders like Microsoft have trimmed more staff this year, reflecting in part the enormous investments needed to ensure leadership in AI. The firings have stoked fears about the technology replacing certain job functions. Google itself has conducted rounds of layoffs in recent years to free up resources. "I expect we will grow from our current engineering base even into next year, because it allows us to do more with the opportunity space," Pichai said in conversation with Bloomberg's Emily Chang. "I just view this as making engineers dramatically more productive, getting a lot of the mundane aspects out of what they do." Still, Pichai presented a vision of AI that was at once optimistic about the technology's possibilities and sober-minded about some of its present limitations. While AI excels in areas like coding, the models continue to make basic mistakes, Pichai said. "So are we currently on an absolute path to AGI? I don't think anyone can say for sure," Pichai said. He was referring to artificial general intelligence: the dream of building AI that can perform on par with humans. As Google incorporates more AI into its search engine, publishers have sounded the alarm about how the company's AI-generated answers deprive them of traffic. Pichai stressed that the company remains committed to sending traffic to the web. "Compared to most companies in the world, we take care to design an experience which is going to showcase links," Pichai said. "We took a long time testing AI Overviews and prioritized approaches which resulted in high quality traffic out. I'm confident that many years from now that's how Google will work." Pichai has led Google since 2015, when he took the reins from Google co-founder Larry Page pledging to focus even more on AI. Asked about a CEO when the company celebrates its 50th birthday, Pichai quipped: "Whoever is running it will have an extraordinary AI companion." At the same conference on Wednesday, Meta Platforms Inc. Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth said that there's been a cultural shift in the Silicon Valley and it is now more palatable for the tech industry to support the US military's efforts. The company announced a partnership with defense contractor Anduril Industries Inc. last week to develop products for the US military, including an artificial intelligence-powered helmet with virtual and augmented reality features. "There's a much stronger patriotic underpinning than I think people give Silicon Valley credit for," he said. Anduril's co-founder Trae Stephens and other industry leaders such as Perplexity AI Inc. Chief Executive Officer Aravind Srinivas will join the Bloomberg Tech summit on Thursday. © 2025 Bloomberg LP

Sundar Pichai Says Google Will Hire More Human Engineers Because of A.I.

Despite industry layoffs, Pichai insists A.I. will accelerate -- not replace -- human talent at Google. At a time when Big Tech companies like Meta, Amazon and Microsoft slash thousands of engineering jobs and replace them with A.I., Google is looking to expand its engineering team, CEO Sundar Pichai said at Bloomberg Tech Summit in San Francisco yesterday (June 4). "I expect we will grow from our current engineering base even into next year. It allows us to do more with the opportunity space," Pichai told Bloomberg's Emily Chang during an onstage interview. Sign Up For Our Daily Newsletter Sign Up Thank you for signing up! By clicking submit, you agree to our <a href="http://observermedia.com/terms">terms of service</a> and acknowledge we may use your information to send you emails, product samples, and promotions on this website and other properties. You can opt out anytime. See all of our newsletters Pichai sees A.I. as an opportunity to boost productivity without eliminating human talent. Google is using A.I. to handle repetitive tasks like boilerplate coding, allowing engineers to focus on more impactful work. "I just view this (A.I.) as making engineers dramatically more productive, getting a lot of the mundane aspects out of what they do," Pichai said. "A.I. serves as an accelerator rather than a replacement for human talent, enabling the company to pursue greater opportunities in emerging technology sectors." More than 30 percent of Google's code is now A.I.-generated, according to Pichai. However, this shift is driving demand for more human engineers to guide, verify and build on what A.I. creates. Pichai's optimistic outlook contrasts sharply with the industry's recent mood. Despite rounds of restructuring at Google, Pichai is focused on growth rather than downsizing for efficiency. "We are definitely investing for the long run in A.I.," he said, citing a planned $75 billion in capital expenditures for 2025. "The A.I. opportunity is bigger than the opportunity we had in the past." Still, Pichai tempered his optimism by acknowledging the current limits of A.I. While systems like Gemini are becoming more powerful and creative, they still make basic errors and aren't ready for full autonomy. "Even the best models still make basic mistakes," he said, warning against overestimating current systems. "So are we currently on an absolute path to AGI? I don't think anyone can say for sure." In response to recent predictions by Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, who suggested A.I. could eliminate half of all entry-level jobs within five years, Pichai pushed back. "We've made predictions like that for the last 20 years about technology and automation, and it hasn't quite played out that way," he said. Pichai also pointed to Google's continued innovation across sectors -- such as self-driving technology via Waymo, quantum computing and YouTube's growth in international markets like India -- as evidence that engineering talent remains essential. "These are long-term bets," he said. "And they all depend on having great people behind them." With new products, investments and a commitment to hiring, Google is betting on a future where engineers remain at the heart of innovation, even as A.I. reshapes the landscape around them.

Alphabet to keep hiring engineers while AI advances

Sundar Pichai affirmed Alphabet Inc.'s commitment to expanding its engineering workforce through 2026, emphasizing the enduring importance of human talent alongside increasing AI investments. Despite industry-wide layoffs driven by AI advancements, Google plans to grow its engineering base to leverage emerging opportunities. Pichai also addressed concerns about AI's impact on publishers, reiterating Google's dedication to directing traffic to websites.Alphabet Inc.'s Sundar Pichai said his company will keep expanding its engineering ranks at least into 2026, stressing human talent remains key even as Google's parent ramps up AI investments. Speaking at the Bloomberg Tech conference in San Francisco, Pichai said he will continue to invest in engineering in the near future. US tech leaders like Microsoft Corp. have trimmed more staff this year, reflecting in part the enormous investments needed to ensure leadership in AI. The firings have stoked fears about the technology replacing certain job functions. Google itself has conducted rounds of layoffs in recent years to free up resources. "I expect we will grow from our current engineering base even into next year, because it allows us to do more with the opportunity space," Pichai said in conversation with Bloomberg's Emily Chang. "I just view this as making engineers dramatically more productive, getting a lot of the mundane aspects out of what they do." Still, Pichai presented a vision of AI that was at once optimistic about the technology's possibilities and sober-minded about some of its present limitations. While AI excels in areas like coding, the models continue to make basic mistakes, Pichai said. "So are we currently on an absolute path to AGI? I don't think anyone can say for sure," Pichai said. He was referring to artificial general intelligence: the dream of building AI that can perform on par with humans. As Google incorporates more AI into its search engine, publishers have sounded the alarm about how the company's AI-generated answers deprive them of traffic. Pichai stressed that the company remains committed to sending traffic to the web. "Compared to most companies in the world, we take care to design an experience which is going to showcase links," Pichai said. "We took a long time testing AI Overviews and prioritized approaches which resulted in high quality traffic out. I'm confident that many years from now that's how Google will work." Pichai has led Google since 2015, when he took the reins from Google co-founder Larry Page pledging to focus even more on AI. Asked about what qualities the public can expect to see in the company's next CEO, Pichai quipped: "Whoever is running it will have an extraordinary AI companion." At the same conference on Wednesday, Meta Platforms Inc. Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth said that there's been a cultural shift in the Silicon Valley and it is now more palatable for the tech industry to support the US military's efforts. The company announced a partnership with defense contractor Anduril Industries Inc. last week to develop products for the US military, including an artificial intelligence-powered helmet with virtual and augmented reality features. Anduril's co-founder Trae Stephens and other industry leaders such as Perplexity AI Inc. Chief Executive Officer Aravind Srinivas will join the Bloomberg Tech summit on Thursday.

Alphabet CEO expects to keep hiring engineers while AI advances

Alphabet's Sundar Pichai said his company will keep expanding its engineering ranks at least into 2026, stressing human talent remains key even as Google's parent ramps up artificial intelligence investments. Speaking at the Bloomberg Tech conference in San Francisco, Pichai said he will continue to invest in engineering in the near future. U.S. tech leaders like Microsoft have trimmed more staff this year, reflecting in part the enormous investments needed to ensure leadership in AI. The firings have stoked fears about the technology replacing certain job functions. Google, itself, has conducted rounds of layoffs in recent years to free up resources.

Alphabet to Keep Adding Engineers Despite Investments in AI | PYMNTS.com

By completing this form, you agree to receive marketing communications from PYMNTS and to the sharing of your information with our sponsor, if applicable, in accordance with our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions. "I expect we will grow from our current engineering base even into next year because it allows us to do more with the opportunity space," Pichai told Bloomberg Wednesday (June 4) in an interview conducted at the Bloomberg Tech conference in San Francisco. "I just view this as making engineers dramatically more productive, getting a lot of the mundane aspects out of what they do." AI excels in coding but continues to make basic mistakes, Pichai said, per the report. It was reported in July that AI was playing a role in tech sector job cuts. Some companies were replacing employees with AI bots, while others were replacing them with an equal number of new employees with AI expertise. It was reported in January 2023 that Alphabet was cutting 12,000 jobs, about 6% of its workforce, as it faced "a different economic reality" and doubled down on AI. In January 2024, Pichai said that employees could expect more job cuts as the company worked on "removing layers to simplify execution and drive velocity in some areas." The PYMNTS Intelligence report "GenAI: A Generational Look at AI Usage and Attitudes" found that 54% of workers in the United States believe that generative AI poses a "significant risk of widespread job displacement." "Technological revolutions have impacted jobs and the economy for a long time, and some jobs go away; some new jobs get created," Altman said. "Many jobs just get more efficient, and people are able to do more and earn more money and create more."