The AI boom didn't stop Google from hiring nearly 12,000 people
Alphabet reported a significant increase in its workforce, adding nearly 12,000 employees between mid-2025 and mid-2026 despite ongoing industry-wide layoffs. The company continues to prioritize heavy investment in AI infrastructure, raising its capital expenditure outlook.
Why it matters
Google's hiring strategy contrasts with the broader tech industry's trend of downsizing, signaling a massive bet on the long-term profitability of AI.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai. Benjamin Fanjoy/Getty Images Google's parent company, Alphabet, grew its head count by 11,830 between June 2025 and June 2026. The tech giant reported blockbuster second-quarter earnings, revealing revenue of $119.8 billion. The update comes as Google workers rallied for layoff protections last week. As companies make rounds of job cuts and double down on AI spend, Google's parent company Alphabet is expanding its workforce. Alphabet reported blockbuster second-quarter earnings , with revenue climbing 24% year over year to $119.8 billion. The company revealed in its earnings report that it increased head count by 11,830 employees, from 187,103 to 198,933, between June 30, 2025 and June 30, 2026. The chart below shows how Alphabet's workforce has grown from the end of the first quarter of 2025 through the end of the second quarter of 2026.
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