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Advertising revenue is sensitive but number of engineer Google needs is not proportional to amount of ads they show. It's not like Amazon where if people order less they need less workers at fulfillment centers and less track drivers. And Google still profitable and can afford to keep headcount as an investment into future. Or they have no plans which spans more than a quarter?

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Google can afford to spend many billions on any unprofitable cause they wish, instead of maximising profit.

I don't think they should. But if they did, I'd hope they'd focus on more worthy causes than paying US engineers $300k/year.

Why a project they invested in would suddenly become unprofitable for all foreseeable future? They expect recession to last decades? It more looks like public companies value short term profit (the next quarterly report) more than a long term development and Google is no longer immune to this.

only a very small fraction of people getting laid off are engineers.

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