Sundar Pichai thinks AI is helpful... but not harmless
Matt V
June 06, 2025
Sundar Pichai thinks AI is helpful… but not harmless
Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai is pushing back on the idea that AI might wipe out jobs across Google.
In a recent Bloomberg interview, he said fears that half of the company’s 180,000-person workforce could be made redundant are overblown.
Instead, he argued that AI is helping engineers do their jobs better by cutting out repetitive tasks and making space for more meaningful work.
He described AI not as a replacement, but as “an accelerator” that’s fuelling new product development and, in turn, creating the need for more people.
Alphabet has gone through multiple rounds of layoffs in recent years, but cuts in 2025 have been more targeted.
Earlier this year, fewer than 100 roles were affected in the cloud division, with several hundred more reportedly let go from platforms and devices.
That’s a big contrast to 2023, when 12,000 jobs were cut, and another 1,000 in 2024.
Looking ahead, Pichai pointed to growth areas like Waymo, quantum computing, and YouTube, especially in India, where YouTube has 100 million channels and 15,000 with over one million subscribers.
What to take away:
AI at Alphabet is seen as a productivity tool, not a job killer.
Layoffs this year have been far smaller than in 2023.
Progress toward AGI is real, but far from guaranteed.
Less doom, more growth
When asked about comments from Anthropic’s CEO that AI could take out half of entry-level white-collar jobs in five years, Pichai didn’t disagree entirely.
He said those concerns should be taken seriously and talked about openly.
As for whether we’ll ever get to AGI, AI that’s as smart as humans across the board, Pichai said progress is being made but warned we could hit a plateau.
“Are we on an absolute path to AGI? I don’t think anyone can say for sure.”
When the CEO says AI is just ‘an accelerator’ but you’re still scared to update your CV…