Google is offering voluntary buyouts to additional employees across several major departments as part of its ongoing cost-cutting efforts. This move comes as the company braces for a potential court ruling that could lead to the breakup of parts of its sprawling internet business. The restructuring was confirmed by Google following reports from various media outlets.

While the exact number of affected workers is not known, The Wall Street Journal reports that the buyouts have been extended to staff in Google’s search, advertising, research, and engineering teams. Most of Alphabet Inc.’s nearly 186,000 employees work at Google.

“In support of our future priorities, some teams launched voluntary exit programs earlier this year, and more are now doing so,” said Google spokesperson Courtenay Mencini. She also mentioned that certain remote employees living near Google offices are being asked to adopt hybrid work schedules to encourage more in-person collaboration.

These workforce changes come as Google awaits a critical federal court decision regarding its dominance in search. A judge previously ruled that Google’s search engine constitutes an illegal monopoly in a U.S. Justice Department case dating back nearly five years. A second antitrust case is also underway involving Google’s digital advertising business.

U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta is expected to rule by Labor Day on a government proposal that would bar Google from paying over $26 billion annually to Apple and other companies to maintain its search engine as the default option. The proposal also seeks to require data sharing with competitors and may mandate the sale of the Chrome browser. Google is preparing to appeal last year’s ruling should the court uphold the monopoly claim.

These legal battles coincide with broader efforts by the Justice Department to break up Google's ad tech business, which a federal judge said misused its dominant position, harming online publishers and competition.

Like other major tech companies, Google has been steadily reducing its workforce since 2023, reversing the aggressive hiring that took place during the pandemic’s surge in demand for digital services. The company began by laying off 12,000 employees early last year and has since continued downsizing certain departments. These cuts come as Google shifts more resources toward artificial intelligence, which is rapidly transforming its products, particularly its search engine, into more interactive, conversational tools.