YouTube has launched a voluntary exit program offering severance packages to some of its U.S.-based employees, the company confirmed on Wednesday. While YouTube declined to specify how many workers are eligible, the move marks the latest in a series of workforce adjustments across major tech firms this year.
First reported by Sources, the program gives affected employees the option to leave the company with compensation, signalling an ongoing effort to streamline operations amid broader restructuring at Google’s parent company, Alphabet.
In an internal memo shared with staff on Wednesday, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan informed employees about the voluntary exit program.
“YouTube has paid over $100 billion to creators and partners and has held the top spot as the number-one streamer in the U.S. for over two years,” he wrote. “But as we look ahead, AI has the potential to transform every part of the platform. We need to ensure our teams are structured to make the most of this opportunity.”
The memo also outlined a major restructuring of YouTube’s product division, consolidating it into three distinct teams that will now report directly to CEO Neal Mohan. One of the newly formed groups, dubbed the Subscription Products team, will oversee YouTube’s paid offerings including YouTube Music, YouTube Premium, and its over-the-top (OTT) services as part of a broader push to strengthen the platform’s recurring revenue streams.
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Another group, the Viewer Products team, will be responsible for enhancing the user experience across YouTube’s core platforms including the main app, YouTube Kids, Learning, and Trust & Safety initiatives. Meanwhile, the third unit, Creator & Community Products, will concentrate on strengthening tools and programs that support creators and foster deeper engagement within the YouTube community.
YouTube clarified that the restructuring will not result in any job cuts, emphasizing that the changes are aimed at improving focus and efficiency rather than reducing headcount.
The announcement coincided with parent company Alphabet’s third-quarter earnings release on Wednesday, which showed YouTube’s advertising revenue climbing to $10.26 billion, a 15% increase from the same quarter last year, underscoring the platform’s continued growth amid shifting internal priorities.
“Looking to the future, the next frontier for YouTube is AI,” a YouTube spokesperson said in a statement to CNBC. The latest reorganization aligns with Google’s broader effort to embed artificial intelligence throughout its ecosystem, as CEO Sundar Pichai has repeatedly encouraged teams to leverage AI-driven tools to boost efficiency and innovation across the company’s products and services.