The entire YouTube Music team has been let go amid escalating tensions at Google’s parent company, Alphabet.
The Alphabet Workers Union, representing employees at Alphabet, disclosed that Google terminated the YouTube Music team’s employment on Friday.
Some Alphabet workers were informed of the layoffs while addressing the Austin City Council in Texas. The council was about to vote on a resolution urging the company to engage in negotiations with the union.
During the council meeting, one worker revealed, “We just got laid off, our jobs are ending today, effective immediately.”
In a statement on X, formerly Twitter, the union revealed that the YouTube Music team, based in Austin, was earning such low wages that some members had to juggle multiple jobs to make ends meet.
Despite contributing to the success of the billion-dollar platform, workers were reportedly paid as little as $19 per hour and received minimal benefits.
Previously, the YouTube Music team had staged a strike in February 2023 protesting Google’s restrictions on remote work.
According to KXAN in Austin, Cognizant, a professional services company contracted by Alphabet, stated that the workers were dismissed after their contract concluded as scheduled.
Cognizant added that the employees would receive seven weeks of paid time to explore other opportunities within the organization.
Google clarified to Business Insider that Cognizant was responsible for terminating the workers’ contracts, not Google itself.
The company emphasized that contracts with suppliers typically end as agreed upon, and the decision was made jointly with Cognizant.
As these layoffs unfold, Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai faces mounting calls for his resignation. The company is grappling with increasing competition from advancements in artificial intelligence, compounded by recent setbacks with AI technology.
Google recently halted its AI image generator, Gemini, following its production of historically inaccurate images.
