The company is moving Waze from its separate ads system to Google’s, and that means job cuts.
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Google is laying off employees at Waze, CNBC reported on Tuesday. The company is moving Waze over to Google’s ads system, and that change will mean cuts at Waze in “sales, marketing, operations and analytics,” Chris Phillips, VP and GM of Google’s Geo unit, wrote in an email seen by the publication. Phillips’ email didn’t indicate the number of jobs that would be cut at Waze, which has more than 500 staffers, according to CNBC.
Waze confirmed the layoffs in a statement to The Verge. “Google remains deeply committed to growing Waze’s unique brand, its beloved app and its thriving community of volunteers and users,” Caroline Bourdeau, Waze’s head of PR, said in the statement. “In order to create a better, more seamless long term experience for Waze advertisers, we’ve begun transitioning Waze’s existing advertising system to Google Ads technology. As part of this update, we’ve reduced those roles focused on Waze Ads monetization and are providing employees with mobility resources and severance options in accordance with local requirements.” We’ve asked Bourdeau for details about how many employees will be laid off.
The layoffs are happening several months after Google said it would be folding Waze into the Geo team, a group that also includes products like Google Maps, Google Earth and Street View. At the time, Google wasn’t planning layoffs as part of the change, The Wall Street Journal reported.
