Google’s parent company, Alphabet, continues to reduce its workforce following a major layoff of about 12,000 employees in January. The company has decided to close down its Everyday Robots project, leading to the departure of some employees involved in the project.
Everyday Robots Integration into Alphabet
Alphabet has disbanded the team working on the Everyday Robots project, according to Wired and a company spokesperson. This move also marks the end of the project’s operations. While some staff and technology will merge into existing robotics projects within Google Research, others will face job cuts, although the specific number of affected employees has not been disclosed.
Launched in 2019, the Everyday Robots initiative focused on creating robotic aids for home and office environments. The project aimed to assist with chores like taking out the trash, cleaning surfaces, and serving individuals. Essentially, the robots were designed to help with everyday tasks, in line with the project’s name. Six months ago, Google released a video showcasing the robots developed by the team. As stated in the video: “Sounds easy, but it is difficult stuff.” Implementing machine learning and ensuring a robot can perform a simple task flawlessly is more challenging than it may seem. Despite making progress, Alphabet opted to discontinue further investment in the project.
Alphabet has made significant workforce reductions this year, with Google cutting around 12,000 jobs in January alone. Intrinsic, another robotics endeavor under Alphabet, also saw a reduction of approximately 20%, affecting around 40 employees. This move does not signal the end of Alphabet’s research efforts in this field, but it does represent a significant downsizing. Alphabet is not the only company executing layoffs, as IBM reportedly eliminated 3,900 positions as well.
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