Google is on an efficiency drive since layoffs at the start of the year, and is now looking to cut spending across employee laptops (by defaulting to Chromebooks), office equipment, and other services.
According to CNBC today, Google is “pausing refreshes for laptops, desktop PCs and monitors” while also “changing how often equipment is replaced.”
One result of this is that non-engineering Googlers will be given a Chromebook by default, with the report noting that MacBooks were previously in the “range of offerings.”
As part of this, Google is highlighting the security upside of ChromeOS. Before this, midrange to premium Chromebooks (and not lower-end models) were already offered, and that’s presumably continuing.
Another change sees a virtual workstation setup (available in Linux or Windows) called CloudTop as becoming the “default desktop” offering. Other office supplies, with staples and tape cited today, are seeing similar reductions.
Meanwhile, Google is going to be more efficient with other employee services after encountering oversupply given at the hybrid shift from five days in office to three:
“We’ve baked too many muffins on a Monday, seen GBuses run with just one passenger, and offered yoga classes on a Friday afternoon when folks are more likely to be working from home.”
All this is part of “big, multi-year efforts” to save on costs that apply to the entire company. Google gave the following statement to CNBC: “As we’ve publicly stated, we have a company goal to make durable savings through improved velocity and efficiency. As part of this, we’re making some practical changes to help us remain responsible stewards of our resources while continuing to offer industry-leading perks, benefits and amenities.”
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