Google Streamlines Management Structure to Boost Efficiency

Google has slashed its small-team management roles by 35% over the past year, targeting supervisors with fewer than three direct reports. The restructuring aims to dismantle bureaucratic layers and accelerate decision-making—a strategic shift echoing the company's early engineering-centric ethos.

Affected managers are transitioning to individual contributor roles rather than exiting the company. This approach, coupled with voluntary buyout offers, has mitigated employee discontent while advancing operational agility. The MOVE underscores Silicon Valley's broader trend toward flatter organizational hierarchies as tech giants compete in AI development.

By eliminating micro-management, Google seeks to recapture the innovative spirit of its startup days. The reduction in middle management coincides with industry-wide pressure to optimize costs and productivity amid economic uncertainty.