Once a champion of remote work, Google now calls workers back – willing or not

At the height of the pandemic, Google emerged as a symbol of modern flexibility. Remote work became a new way of life, championed by a company that claimed to be building the future.

Fast forward to 2025, and the message is unmistakably different: come back to the office, or pack your things.

A not-so-voluntary return

In internal memos seen by CNBC, Google employees who once held the golden ticket of remote work are now being told to report for in-person duty – or risk being shown the door.

The orders are clearest for those in Technical Services and People Operations (Google-speak for HR): return to a hybrid schedule of three days in the office or accept a voluntary exit package.

For some, relocation expenses are offered. But the catch? You need to live within 50 miles of a Google office.

It’s a sharp reversal for a company that once touted its flexible work culture as a competitive edge. The new stance is less carrot, more stick.

Google’s spokesperson Courtenay Mencini tried to paint a softer picture, insisting that these are team-level decisions.

In-person collaboration is an important part of how we innovate and solve complex problems,” Mencini said.

But for employees who have settled into new homes, schools, and lives far from Silicon Valley’s epicentre, that sounds like corporate spin masking a corporate squeeze.

From beanbags to bottom lines

The timing of Google’s clampdown isn’t coincidental. As AI fever grips the tech world, companies are slashing costs to pour billions into infrastructure and machine learning talent.

Google is no exception. The tech giant has been trimming its workforce since early 2023, and is now engaging in what could be called “precision pruning”. That is, targeting roles that don’t directly align with its AI ambitions.

Voluntary buyouts began at the start of 2025, aimed mostly at remote staff in the US. So, if you’re not coding AI models or building the backbone to support them, your desk might soon be cleared – voluntarily or otherwise.

Google’s workforce stood at around 183,000 by the end of last year, down from nearly 190,000 two years earlier. With the downsizing taking place, employees feel the pressure to be indispensable or be retrenched.

Sergey Brin demands ‘turbocharge’ commitment

In February, Google co-founder Sergey Brin added fuel to the fire with a memo that sounded more like a drill sergeant than a visionary tech leader. He urged AI teams to come into the office every weekday, insisting that 60 hours a week was the “sweet spot of productivity”.

Brin’s push to “turbocharge” AI efforts comes at a cost. It places extraordinary demands on employees while undercutting the very principles of autonomy and balance that defined the pandemic-era workplace.

HR under the hammer

Even Google’s HR department isn’t immune. In February, HR chief Fiona Cicconi offered US-based People Operations staff voluntary exit options. Those within commuting distance had until June to return to a hybrid model.

Those farther afield could remain remote. At least for now. But if they hoped to shift into new roles, hybrid would become the price of admission.

It’s a bitter pill: the very team tasked with nurturing employee wellbeing is now being asked to either toe the line or walk the plank.

Android, Chrome, and the slow axe swing

Elsewhere, restructuring has hit Google’s Platforms and Devices group – the umbrella team for Android, Chrome, Fitbit, and Nest. In January, the unit rolled out exit offers, followed by targeted layoffs across nearly two dozen teams.

While internal chatter acknowledged remote work as a factor, Mencini maintained it wasn’t the case.

From hybrid hype to hard resets

What was once sold as a lifestyle revolution is now being repackaged as a privilege – one that can be revoked. While other firms nudge workers back with perks or gentle persuasion, Google is wielding the hybrid model like a stick. It’s no longer about where you do your best work, but where you’re seen to be working.

Employees who moved during the pandemic for a quieter life or more affordable housing now face an unenviable fork in the road: upend your life again to meet a mandate or leave behind a company that no longer walks the talk on flexibility.

As Google races to dominate the AI frontier, it’s burning bridges it once proudly built. And in doing so, it risks losing talent and forfeits the trust that once made it a magnet for the best and brightest.