Google eliminates team of robots that dealt with trash
text_fields
Amid mass layoffs across the tech sector, Google's parent company Alphabet is targeting robots as well. Each robot is likely to cost tens of thousands of dollars.
The latest subsidiary Everyday Robots had over a hundred wheeled, one-armed robots that are trained to clean cafeteria tables, separate trash, and open doors. As part of budget cuts, this team is being shut down, reported Wired. It was a subsidiary of Alphabet's X moonshot lab, a secret research and development facility established by Google in 2010.
"Everyday Robots will no longer be a separate project within Alphabet. Some of the technology and part of the team will be consolidated into existing robotics efforts within Google Research," said Denise Gamboa, Director of Marketing and Communications for the company. It was not disclosed which assets and team members are being transferred.
Alphabet's profit fell by 2% to $60 billion in 2022 because Google advertising spending slowed. Everyday Robots and Waymo lost $6.1 billion last year. Investors have been demanding more cuts since then.
In January 2023, CEO Sundar Pichai in a memo said that the company will cut 6% of its workforce.