Fitbit’s co-founders, James Park and Eric Friedman, were among the senior Fitbit executives let go by Google. Google is also letting go of staff members in the Devices and Services divisions, which are in charge of producing products like Nest, Fitbit, and Pixel, according to a statement the tech behemoth provided to 9to5Google.

Fitbit as we know it may come to an end because of this. Fitbit was purchased by the tech behemoth in November 2018 for approximately $2.1 billion. Google has fired hundreds of workers from the Augmented Reality division, indicating that the company may cease developing its own AR hardware, though the Pixel team appears to be the least affected.

Formerly, these departments operated as independent groups and focused on a range of projects, including software, hardware engineering, design, and user interface. Working on wearables, smart homes, and smartphones, the company’s hardware division was akin to a mini-business.

It appears that Google is rearranging, according to a recent 9to5Google report. The company is moving toward a more functional organizational model, with one team focusing on hardware development to produce products like Fitbit, Pixel, and Nest. Furthermore, it appears that just one person will be in charge of all the hardware projects Google is working on, though it is unclear whether this will harmonize the company’s diverse array of products.

Fitbit executives departing from Google

Interestingly, the layoffs follow the resignations of Fitbit executives James Park, Eric Friedman, and other co-founders. Their departure coincides with Google’s intentions to restructure the Devices & Services divisions in charge of Fitbit, Pixel, and Nest devices.

Google is implementing a functional organization model as part of its reorganization, which means that one team under one leader will handle hardware engineering for all Google hardware products, including Pixel, Nest, and Fitbit. Apple has centralized organizations for Software Engineering, Services, Hardware Technologies, and Hardware Engineering, adhering to a similar organizational structure.

Regarding the layoffs, Google has been causing anxiety among its staff members about job security since announcing a large-scale layoff that affected 6% of its 12,000 employees worldwide in January 2023. As part of its restructuring plan, the tech giant proceeded with smaller job cuts throughout the year after this.

Nonetheless, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai announced the mass layoffs; however, this year, the lower-level executives informed the teams directly of the layoffs.