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Google Cuts 200 Jobs in Global Business Unit Amid AI-Focused Shift

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Google has laid off approximately 200 employees from its global business organization, which oversees sales and partnerships, as the tech giant continues to reallocate resources toward artificial intelligence and data centers, The Information reported Wednesday.

Key Highlights:

  • The cuts were confirmed by Google, which said the changes aim to boost collaboration and enhance customer service effectiveness.

  • This follows earlier layoffs in Google’s platforms and devices division, impacting teams responsible for Android, Pixel, and Chrome.

  • Google-parent Alphabet previously cut 12,000 jobs in January 2023, about 6% of its global workforce.

Broader Tech Industry Context:

Major tech companies are trimming headcount in legacy areas while aggressively investing in AI capabilities:

  • Meta laid off 5% of its “lowest performers” while accelerating AI hiring.

  • Microsoft let go of 650 staff from its Xbox division last September.

  • Amazon and Apple have also enacted selective layoffs across various departments.

These actions signal a strategic pivot across the tech industry to optimize cost structures and prioritize innovation in AI, cloud infrastructure, and machine learning tools.

Super Micro Shares Fall After Forecasting Q4 Revenue Below Estimates Amid Tariff, Spending Concerns

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Super Micro Computer (SMCI.O), a leading AI server manufacturer, projected fourth-quarter revenue below Wall Street expectations, causing its shares to drop 5.4% in after-hours trading on Tuesday. The company cited economic uncertainty, tariffs, and delayed customer spending as near-term headwinds.

The San Jose-based firm forecast Q4 revenue between $5.6 billion and $6.4 billion, falling short of analysts’ average estimate of $6.82 billion, according to LSEG data. The company has benefited from surging demand for AI data center infrastructure, leveraging chips from Nvidia, AMD, and others, but has also faced accounting issues in recent months that sparked delisting concerns on the Nasdaq.

Despite some clients delaying purchases, Super Micro expects those deferred deals to materialize in the June–September quarter. However, investor sentiment remains cautious, particularly in light of growing concerns about AI investment slowdowns and tariff-related impacts.

Kim Caughey Forrest of Bokeh Capital Partners suggested the lowered guidance might be self-inflicted, rather than purely market-driven, while D.A. Davidson’s Gil Luria noted the possibility that Super Micro may be losing market share to competitors like Dell, rather than signaling a broader downturn in AI infrastructure demand.

For fiscal year 2025, Super Micro revised its revenue forecast downward to $21.8 billion to $22.6 billion, from a previously expected $23.5 billion to $25.0 billion.

The company had released preliminary results last week, but the lower guidance and uncertain macroeconomic environment continue to weigh on investor confidence.

Tencent Unveils T1 Reasoning Model Amid Intense AI Competition in China

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Tencent, the Chinese tech giant, has officially launched its T1 reasoning model, marking a significant step in the intensifying competition in China’s artificial intelligence (AI) sector. The official version of T1, announced on Friday night, offers faster response times and enhanced capabilities for handling extended text documents. The company highlighted that the model’s content logic remains clear, and the text is neat and clean, with a notably low hallucination rate.

This release comes at a time when China’s AI landscape is becoming increasingly competitive, particularly after DeepSeek introduced models that are said to offer comparable or even superior performance to Western counterparts at much lower costs. Tencent had previously released a preview version of T1 via platforms such as its AI assistant app, Yuanbao, but the official version is now powered by Tencent’s Turbo S foundational language model, which was unveiled late last month.

According to a comparison chart shared in the announcement, Tencent’s T1 model outperformed DeepSeek’s R1 model on certain knowledge and reasoning benchmarks. This new development is part of Tencent’s broader push to accelerate its AI investments, which include plans to significantly increase capital expenditures in 2025 following a strong focus on AI spending throughout 2024.