Google has expanded its voluntary buyout programme to five countries, offering employees severance packages as it looks to control costs amid heavy AI investments. The move comes shortly after Microsoft announced a similar offer for around 60,000 employees.

Google is giving some of its employees an option to leave the company with a severance package, as it looks to keep its spending under control while putting more money into artificial intelligence (AI). According to Reuters, the programme now covers employees in five countries, with the company extending the voluntary exit offers in June.

The latest round covers teams in Canada, France, Germany, Japan and Switzerland. Google has not shared how many employees have taken up the offer. A spokesperson confirmed the expansion to Reuters, saying the company had introduced similar programs in some teams earlier in 2025 before extending them to more countries in June.

The offers are not available across all parts of Google’s business. Its AI research division DeepMind and Google Cloud appear to be outside the program, following a similar approach to earlier voluntary exit schemes. Both units are among the areas where Google has identified a need for more hiring, as it works to strengthen its AI and cloud businesses.

The company is therefore looking to reduce or reorganise its workforce in certain areas while continuing to invest in teams considered important to its future plans. Alphabet, Google’s parent company, has been increasing its AI spending, putting pressure on the company to manage expenses alongside its investment plans.

The impact of the program is already visible in Switzerland. Google employees there received the offer in June, and those who accepted started leaving in August, according to people familiar with the matter. The country has around 5,000 Google employees and is home to a major engineering centre in Zurich. The exit package offered one month’s salary for every year of service, subject to a maximum payout of 12 months. At least four people from one team of around 50 employees reportedly accepted the offer.

Microsoft is also offering employees a way out

Google’s decision comes as other technology companies reassess their workforce requirements amid rising AI-related expenses. Microsoft recently announced a voluntary buyout offer that could cover around 60,000 employees in the US, Canada, India and the UK. The offer is available to eligible employees at level 70 or below, making around 27 percent of Microsoft’s 223,000-strong workforce eligible. Employees who accept will leave the company at the end of December.

Microsoft has been committing billions of dollars to data centres and computing infrastructure to support its AI ambitions. Its latest buyout offer follows a voluntary retirement program announced in April and a separate round of job cuts affecting 4,800 employees in July.