Google Cloud cuts its own cyber threat hunters as Mandiant layoffs hit security division

Published 5 June 2026 · tech

Google has laid off employees across its Cloud division over the past fortnight, Business Insider first reported, with the reductions affecting some of the company's

Google has laid off employees across its Cloud division over the past fortnight, Business Insider first reported, with the reductions affecting some of the company's most prominent security teams as the company continues to restructure its workforce amid a wider industry push towards artificial intelligence investment. Google's Threat Intelligence Group Among Units Hit by Cloud Layoffs The cuts reached Google's Threat Intelligence Group, one of the company's foremost security divisions and a team widely recognised for its published research on state- hackers and cyber threats, according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke to Business Insider. Employees within the unit began posting about the redundancies on LinkedIn following the cuts. The reductions were not confined to a single team, the people told Business Insider. Workers at Mandiant, the cybersecurity firm Google acquired in 2022, were also affected, as were other employees within the wider Google Cloud organisation. The precise number of those impacted has not been confirmed. In at least one instance, Google cited the need to redirect investment towards high-growth areas as justification for the decision, one of the people said.

"We regularly evaluate our internal structures to ensure we are best positioned to meet the evolving demands of our customers and the industry," a Google spokesperson told Business Insider. Big Tech Layoffs Accelerate as Companies Prioritise AI Investment The Google Cloud reductions are the latest in a series of workforce contractions sweeping across the technology sector, as companies justify cuts by pointing to the demands of the artificial intelligence era. Meta laid off roughly 10 per cent of its global workforce last month. Coinbase and Block have also used AI investment priorities to explain significant headcount reductions earlier this year. Cybersecurity firms have not been spared: Cloudflare cut more than 1,100 positions last month as it prepares for what it called the “agentic AI era.” Google itself quietly reduced staff within its Cloud division last year, Business Insider previously reported, with those earlier cuts concentrated primarily in user experience roles. US Unemployment Claims Rise to Highest Level Since February Against this backdrop of corporate restructuring, the broader US labour market showed fresh signs of strain. Initial applications for unemployment benefits climbed by 13,000 to 225,000 in the week ending 30 May, according to Labor Department data released on Thursday.