As U.S. big tech companies restructure staff to expand AI investment and cut costs, Google parent Alphabet is instead rapidly increasing its workforce. Total headcount has topped 200,000, moving against an industry trend of job cuts.

Business Insider reported on Oct. 29 that Alphabet’s 2026 third-quarter results showed total headcount of 204,757 at end-September. That was up 10,089 from 194,668 at end-March.

The pace of growth is also accelerating. Headcount was 198,933 at end-June, rising by 5,824 in just three months. Compared with 190,167 in the same period a year earlier, it increased by 14,590, or 7.7 percent.

That contrasts with other big tech companies that have moved to restructure. Meta has been pushing cost cuts and organisational efficiency for years, and Microsoft has recently offered a voluntary exit programme to about 60,000 employees.

Google has also carried out large-scale layoffs in the past. In January 2023, it announced plans to cut 12,000 jobs, about 6 percent of its workforce, and later carried out several rounds of smaller restructuring. Alphabet’s employee count has steadily risen since the second quarter of 2024, and the pace of growth has accelerated further since late last year.

Mergers and acquisitions also affected the overall headcount increase. Google completed the acquisition of cybersecurity firm Wiz in March. Wiz’s workforce at the time was reported to be about 2,000. Not all of the increase came from new hiring, and it also reflects staff added through acquisitions.

Results also extended their growth trend. Alphabet’s third-quarter revenue rose 25 percent from a year earlier to $127.6 billion. Google Cloud revenue surged 103 percent, helped by rising demand for AI infrastructure and enterprise AI services.

As big tech companies diverge on workforce strategies in the AI era, attention is focused on whether Alphabet’s headcount growth will continue.