Google cuts jobs at Waze as it continues to merge mapping products

Google is cutting jobs astatine its Waze mapping work arsenic it merges the portion with its ain representation products.

In an email to employees connected Tuesday, Chris Phillips, who oversees Google's maps part called Geo, said the institution is shifting its Waze strategy to see Google ads alternatively than utilizing a abstracted ads system. That determination volition effect successful layoffs, according to the email, which was viewed by CNBC.

"We person decided to modulation Waze's ads monetization to beryllium managed by the Global Business Organization (GBO), akin to Google Maps," Phillips wrote. "Unfortunately, this volition effect successful a simplification of Waze Ads monetization-focused roles successful sales, marketing, operations and analytics."

The institution hopes to "create a much scalable and optimized Waze Ads product," Phillips wrote, adding that it volition "wind down the existent Waze Ads merchandise portion we absorption connected gathering caller Waze Ads powered by Google Ads."

Phillips said the institution would beryllium notifying advertisers and partners of the alteration connected Wednesday, and told employees that his squad volition reply questions and stock its plans for adjacent steps astatine "our adjacent Waze Town Hall" connected July 11.

The email didn't accidental however galore jobs would beryllium eliminated, and Google didn't instantly respond to petition for comment. The Waze portion has much than 500 employees, according to interior documentation viewed by CNBC. Google acquired Waze for astir $1.3 cardinal successful 2013.

Following a twelvemonth of dramatically decelerating gross growth, Google genitor Alphabet announced successful January that it was laying disconnected 12,000 employees, oregon 6% of its workforce. The institution has besides eliminated immoderate projects, downsized others and said it's focusing connected becoming much efficient.

Since December, Google has been consolidating Waze with its ain Geo unit, which oversees maps. As a portion of the shakeup, the institution announced then-CEO Neha Parikh would beryllium stepping down.

The Waze app uses a crowdsourcing method that allows it to find the fastest driving way from 1 determination to another, with the astir caller postulation information. Waze has roughly 140 million active users.

"Decisions similar these are incredibly difficult," Phillips wrote. "Each 1 of these Wazers contributed to Waze's occurrence and culture, and I privation to explicit my gratitude and respect for what they person achieved."

A Google spokesperson didn't instantly supply a comment.

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