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Google SVP Rick Osterloh issued an internal memo to the Pixel\/Android\/Chrome team Thursday, announcing a \u201cvoluntary exit program.\u201d TechCrunch has confirmed the letter\u2019s existence with the company, after it was first reported by 9 to 5 Google<\/a>.<\/p>\n In a statement to TechCrunch, a spokesperson notes,<\/p>\n The Platforms & Devices team is offering a voluntary exit program that provides US-based Googlers working on this team the ability to voluntarily leave the company with a severance package. This comes after we brought two large organizations together last year. There\u2019s tremendous momentum on this team and with so much important work ahead, we want everyone to be deeply committed to our mission and focused on building great products, with speed and efficiency.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The voluntary severance program arrives just under a year after Google merged the Android, Pixel hardware, and Chrome teams into a single \u201cPlatform and Devices\u201d<\/a> division, overseen by Osterloh.<\/p>\n The executive noted in April that the re-org was a bid to integrate the company\u2019s AI offerings more deeply into its products. In the intervening months, Google\u2019s generative AI platform, Gemini, has grown into an outsized presence among its hardware and software offerings.<\/p>\n Gemini took center stage earlier this month, as Samsung unveiled its flagship Galaxy S25<\/a> smartphone. The service has also been central to Google\u2019s own hardware devices, effectively replacing the Home assistant on Pixel products. Google Home, meanwhile, continues to play a role in the company\u2019s Nest line of smart home hardware.<\/p>\n The exit program applies to a wide range of Google offerings, including Android, Chrome\/ChromeOS, Fitbit, Google One, Nest, Photos, and Pixel. Other large Google divisions, including AI and search, are not directly impacted. <\/p>\n Word of the memo follows Amazon\u2019s confirmation<\/a> that it laid off dozens of employees across its communications and corporate responsibility divisions on Wednesday. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n