Google CEO pledges to keep hiring engineers through 2026
Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai told Bloomberg in an interview Thursday that his company will continue expanding its engineering workforce through at least 2026, positioning artificial intelligence as a productivity accelerator rather than a job killer.
The comments come as the technology industry grapples with fears that AI could displace millions of workers, with some executives predicting widespread job losses in white-collar roles within five years.
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Alphabet Charts Growth Path
Speaking at the Bloomberg Tech conference in San Francisco, Pichai said he expects Alphabet to "grow from our current engineering base even into next year, because it allows us to do more"12. The CEO described AI as making engineers more productive by eliminating repetitive tasks and enabling focus on complex challenges13.
Alphabet has conducted layoffs in recent years, including 12,000 employees in 2023 and additional cuts in 20241. However, reductions in 2025 have been more targeted, with fewer than 100 positions eliminated in Google's cloud division and hundreds more in platforms and devices1.
Pichai pointed to expanding ventures including Waymo autonomous vehicles, quantum computing initiatives, and YouTube's growth as evidence of innovation opportunities14. He noted YouTube's scale in India alone encompasses 100 million channels, with 15,000 exceeding one million subscribers1.
4 sources
Industry Tensions Mount
The hiring commitment contrasts with broader industry anxiety about AI's workforce impact. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei recently suggested AI could eliminate half of entry-level white-collar jobs within five years12. When asked about these concerns, Pichai said, "I respect that... I think it's important to voice those concerns and debate them"13.
Recent studies present conflicting data on AI's job market effects. A PwC report found AI-exposed industries experienced productivity growth jumping from 7% to 27% since 2022, with workers in AI-heavy roles earning 56% higher wages4. However, the World Economic Forum projects that while AI will create 19 million jobs by 2030, it will displace 9 million others5.
One in four CEOs surveyed by PwC expect generative AI to trigger job cuts of 5% or more in 20246, while Goldman Sachs estimates AI could replace 300 million jobs globally6.
6 sources
Cautious Optimism
Despite his hiring pledge, Pichai acknowledged uncertainty about artificial general intelligence. "You've always had these technology curves where you may hit a temporary plateau," he said, adding that no one can definitively say whether current paths lead to AGI12.
"I just view this as making engineers dramatically more productive, getting a lot of the mundane aspects out of what they do," Pichai said2.
2 sources
Related
How does Pichai justify Alphabet's continued hiring despite AI fears
What specific innovations in YouTube and Waymo support Pichai's growth claims
How do recent targeted layoffs align with Pichai’s optimism about job creation
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