Google has been on an efficiency drive, and it is now looking to cut spending on employee laptops (by defaulting to Chromebooks), office equipment, and other services.
Google is “pausing refreshes for laptops, desktop PCs, and monitors,” according to CNBC today, while also “changing how frequently equipment is replaced.”
As a result, non-engineering Googlers will be given a Chromebook by default, despite the fact that MacBooks were previously in the “range of offerings,” according to the report.
As part of this, Google is emphasising ChromeOS’s security advantages. Previously, midrange to premium Chromebooks (rather than lower-end models) were available, and this is likely to continue.
Google has been on an efficiency drive since the beginning of the year, and is now looking to cut spending on employee laptops (by defaulting to Chromebooks), office equipment, and other services.
Meanwhile, Google will become more efficient with other employee services following an oversupply caused by the hybrid shift from five days in office to three:
“We’ve baked too many muffins on Mondays, witnessed GBuses run with only one passenger, and offered yoga classes on Friday afternoons when people are more likely to be working from home.”
All of this is part of “large, multi-year efforts” to cut costs across the board. “As we’ve publicly stated, we have a company goal to make long-term savings through improved velocity and efficiency,” Google told CNBC. As part of this, we’re making some practical changes to ensure that we continue to be responsible stewards of our resources while providing industry-leading perks, benefits, and amenities.”
