oNews October 30th — Google’s video platform YouTube confirmed to TechCrunch on October 29th that it is implementing a “voluntary departure program” with compensation for its U.S. employees, while simultaneously launching its first major product team restructuring in a decade. This announcement coincided with parent company Alphabet’s third-quarter earnings report, which revealed YouTube’s advertising revenue reached $10.26 billion (approximately RMB 72.832 billion), marking a 15% year-over-year increase and the strongest growth of the year.
YouTube CEO Neal Mohan communicated via internal memo that the program exclusively targets U.S. employees, emphasizing it is “aligned with organizational optimization” rather than cost-cutting. The company explicitly stated “no positions will be eliminated due to the restructuring,” with participating employees receiving severance packages, continued benefits, and career transition support. Drawing from similar programs implemented by Google in January and June this year, compensation packages are expected to include at least 14 weeks of salary. Senior employees may additionally receive service-year bonuses and accelerated vesting of unvested stock options.
According to informed sources, the program primarily targets employees facing role redundancies post-restructuring or seeking external opportunities. The enrollment deadline and participant cap remain undisclosed. Unlike forced layoffs common in tech, this “voluntary exit” model is viewed as a compromise balancing team optimization with employee rights.
In the memo, Mohan announced the restructuring of the product organization into three independent divisions reporting directly to him for enhanced decision-making efficiency, with clearly defined responsibilities:
Subscription Products Team: Led by former VP of Product Management Christian Oestlien, covering YouTube Music, Premium membership, TV services (OTT), Prime Time channels, and e-commerce subscriptions. Building on the current 120 million paying subscribers (6% of over 2 billion active users), this team will prioritize unlocking subscription revenue growth potential.
Audience Products Team: Led by Chief Product Officer Johanna Voolich, this team oversees the main app, smart TV experiences, search and discovery features, YouTube Kids, and trust & safety systems. Core tasks include optimizing the AI recommendation engine for the short-form video platform Shorts and upgrading content moderation technology for children’s content.
Creator and Community Products: Focuses on developing AI-powered creation tools and building community ecosystems. Features like Smart Edit and automatic music pairing have been launched, with future efforts strengthening technical support for short-form creators while combating low-quality AI-generated content.
Despite robust financials, YouTube faces multiple challenges: intensifying competition in short-form video, surging creator demand for AI production tools, and escalating regulatory pressure on AI-generated content. Industry observers interpret this restructuring as a three-pronged strategic move:
Technological Positioning: YouTube’s spokesperson explicitly stated that “the next frontier is artificial intelligence,” with reorganized resources prioritizing AI R&D. Financial reports indicate that 15% of advertising growth stems from AI-generated ad tools and increased Shorts ad load rates. Future AI applications will comprehensively cover content creation, recommendation, and review workflows.
Ecosystem Synergy: Subscription and advertising businesses complement each other. YouTube now boasts over 300 million subscribers, with Google One and similar services contributing over 150 million users. AI-powered innovations continue to drive paid conversions.
Industry Resonance: This move aligns with industry giants like Amazon and Microsoft restructuring their workforce to prioritize AI, signaling the tech sector’s transition from “AI piloting” to the deeper waters of “architectural restructuring.”
Notably, YouTube has simultaneously tightened attendance policies, requiring remote employees within 80 kilometers of office locations to work on-site at least three days weekly. Violators face termination with standard severance pay, effective September. Analysts suggest this dual-track approach of “in-person collaboration + AI empowerment” aims to further enhance the operational efficiency of the restructured teams.
YouTube’s global headcount remains unchanged, with the reorganized teams expected to complete strategic implementation within three months. Market research indicates this restructuring could propel 2026 advertising revenue past $12 billion, with AI-driven personalized recommendations potentially contributing over 40% of that growth.
