Google India, which sacked 453 employees across departments on Thursday night, had also circulated a mail on the same day to all its existing employees, asking them to work from home till Sunday (company works Monday to Friday).

Sources in the know told businessline that a mass email was sent out by Sanjay Gupta, Country Head and Vice President, Google India, to employees saying ‘it is a lot to take in for us all’. The mail accompanied the mass layoffs even as some Google executives had taken to social media platforms to vent their shock at the news. Some LinkedIn posts were evocative about how the news impacted them.

“As I reflect on the news of my departure, I realise that sometimes life has a way of throwing us curveballs. I am saddened to leave behind such a fantastic team…I am available for work. Please let me know if you know of any Developer Advocate, Android Developer or Full Stack Developer positions available,” said Anuj Garg in his post on LinkedIn.

“Hi, everyone, my position at Google was impacted by the latest round of workforce reduction in the organisation. So I am looking for a new role in Product Management and would appreciate your support,” said another ex-Googler, Arjun Naringe.

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“Thankfully, I am safe this time. But, I have been closely observing this situation and the uncertainty over the past 4-5 weeks has been painful. It’s disheartening to see how many talented individuals have been affected, and only those who are directly impacted can truly comprehend the hardship. I kindly urge everyone to offer their support during this difficult time,” posted Jyotish Bhaskar, a Software Engineer at Google.

“We’ll feel the loss of each of our team members leaving us and will deal with it differently. To give everyone time to digest, I suggest we work from home tomorrow,” he said in the mail on Thursday.

Gupta also assured that the company was making available benefits, well being services and resources to navigate this period.

“Severance packages for impacted Googlers will be personal and based on factors like length of service. We will be paying people’s remaining 2022 bonuses, accrued but unused vacation time, and will be providing assistance towards healthcare insurance, job placement services, EAP (employee assistance programme) services for Googlers and their dependents, and immigration support for those who need it,” he further said in the email.

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He also mentioned that out of respect for privacy for those impacted, Google will not be sharing a list.

“But please know your manager will be able to see if anyone is leaving on your direct team, and they are able to share that information with you. While reaching out to an impacted colleague – they’re likely going through a series of daunting emotions and conversations – let’s be mindful to give them space to process the news,” he added.

This is the first round of layoffs in Google’s India operations after Alphabet Inc, its parent company, announced the sacking of 12,000 employees or 6 per cent of its total headcount globally on January 20.

The company is pressed against the wall with stiff competition emanating from Microsoft in the development of AI-enabled search engines. In India, Google is also facing a potential threat to its existing business model after the Competition Commission of India directed it to pay a ₹1,337.76-crore penalty for “abuse of dominance” in the Android ecosystem.

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Meanwhile, Gupta ensured that employees receiving this mail were not part of the job cuts. “If you are receiving this email, you can assume your role has not been impacted by these changes,” adding that ‘out of respect for privacy of those impacted, we will not be sharing a list’.

Businessline tried to reach Google spokespersons via email and messages with queries seeking comments but did not elicit any reply.