[Reuters: Google Expands Voluntary Separation Program in Multiple Countries to Cope with High AI Costs] Google confirmed to Reuters that it began offering voluntary separation packages to some employees in Canada, France, Germany, Japan, and Switzerland in June to control rising costs amid massive AI investments. The number of employees accepting the program is currently unclear. A Google spokesperson stated that some teams launched a voluntary separation program with severance pay in 2025, and this program was expanded to at least several other countries in June. Google Cloud and DeepMind employees were not previously included in the program, and this expansion appears to follow the same pattern. In Switzerland, employees accepting the program receive one month's salary for each year of service, up to a maximum of 12 months. Previously, Microsoft offered voluntary separation packages to 60,000 employees last week.