According to emerging reports, Google has allegedly laid off its entire Python development team, potentially in an attempt to cut costs.

As first reported by Free Press Journal, rumours speculate that the company aims to hire ‘cheap labour’ to replace the team.

Google has also been strengthening its AI investments, which rely on Python coding language.

According to reports, the Python team has less than ten members who are responsible for maintaining the Google’s Python ecosystem, as well as its third-party software.

News of the alleged layoffs are circulating across social media and Hacker News, where users claiming to be former employees disclosed the firings.

On Mastadon, a user alleged that they and their entire team were fired and asked to onboard new replacements that would take up the roles in a different country.

Screenshots of posts from various forums also made the rounds on X, with users claiming that new hires would be located in Google’s Munich office.

Google has laid off their Python Foundation team and asked them to train their replacements who will be in the Munich office.

This is similar to layoffs in their finance department a few weeks ago where some positions were moved outside the country where they’re cheaper. 😬 pic.twitter.com/tVBh1dWLli

— Dare Obasanjo🐀 (@Carnage4Life) April 28, 2024

In a statement made to ITPro, a Google spokesperson did not deny the claims, but said that Google was “simplifying our structures.”

This follows recent layoffs at the company, with planned firings in the finance department occurring just weeks ago, with more cuts hitting some of its subsidiaries including YouTube.

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Google also recently terminated the contracts of dozen of workers in California and New York for protesting the company’s support of the state of Israel in the ongoing humanitarian crisis and genocide in Palestine.

“Throughout the second half of 2023 and into 2024, a number of our teams made changes to become more efficient and work better, remove layers and align their resources to their biggest product priorities,” a Google spokesperson said, as reported by Reuters just two weeks ago as the company announced an undisclosed number of layoffs.