Google (AI Division)

Featured

> About

Google's AI division responsible for Gemini, Bard, and other AI systems. One of the largest data scrapers on the internet, using YouTube, Google Books, and web content without proper consent.

Website

https://ai.google

CEO

Sundar Pichai

Founded

1998

Valuation

$1.5T+

> Founders

Larry PageSergey Brin

> Products & Services

GeminiBardGoogle Search AIYouTube AIImagen

> Funding

Public company

> Layoffs

100 employees

Over 100 employees from Google Cloud design and UX teams (quantitative user experience research, platform and service experience)

Source

200 employees

Terminated 200 AI contractors (GlobalLogic) working on Gemini and AI Overviews, many with complaints about pay and job insecurity

Source

35%

Cut over one-third of managers overseeing small teams as part of streamlining and reducing bureaucracy

Source

200 employees

Layoffs from Global Business Organization (sales and partnerships)

Source

Hundreds of employees from hardware and voice assistant teams (Google Assistant, Pixel, Nest, Fitbit)

Source

12000 employees • 6%

Major restructuring to focus on AI and streamline operations

Source

> Controversies

Scraped YouTube videos, Google Books, and entire web without consent for AI training.[1][2][3]

Controversy 1 Sources:

  1. Google Utilizes YouTube Library for AI Training, Raising IP Concerns(2024)
  2. Google is Under Investigation in the EU to Find Out Whether It Imposes Unfair Terms on Content Creators for AI(December 2024)
  3. Authors Guild, Inc. v. Google, Inc.(2015)

Used copyrighted material in AI training without proper authorization.[4][5]

Controversy 2 Sources:

  1. Google is Under Investigation in the EU to Find Out Whether It Imposes Unfair Terms on Content Creators for AI(December 2024)
  2. Copyright and Artificial Intelligence - Part 3: Generative AI Training Report(2024)

Massive layoffs while investing billions in AI development.[6][7][8][9][10]

Controversy 3 Sources:

  1. Google lays off hundreds in hardware, voice assistant teams amid cost-cutting drive(January 2024)
  2. Google makes cuts to HR and cloud units(February 2025)
  3. Google terminates 200 AI contractors(September 2025)
  4. Google cuts 35% of managers as layoffs and buyouts reshape workforce(August 2025)
  5. Quite a few of the AI software engineers hired by Google in 2025 were actually ex-employees(December 2025)

Operates on a surveillance capitalism model, collecting and monetizing user data.[11][12][13][14]

Controversy 4 Sources:

  1. Surveillance Capitalism: Data Monetization and Privacy(2024)
  2. Social media companies engaged in "vast surveillance" of users, FTC says(September 2024)
  3. Schmidt - Surveillance Capitalism(2024)
  4. How do I protect my online privacy from surveillance capitalism?(December 2019)

> Data Centers

> Google Pryor

Owner

Location

4581 Webb St, Pryor, OK 74361

36°14'28"N, 95°19'50"W

H100 Equiv

62.9K

Power

195 MW

Cost

$6.21B

Data Center Sources Sources:

  1. Epoch AI, 'Frontier Data Centers'. Published online at epoch.ai. Retrieved from 'https://epoch.ai/data/data-centers' [online resource]. Accessed 5 Jan 2026.(2026-01-05)

> Google New Albany

Owner

Location

1101 Beech Rd SW, New Albany, OH 43054

40°03'40"N, 82°45'51"W

H100 Equiv

235.4K

Power

543 MW

Cost

$29.12B

Data Center Sources Sources:

  1. Epoch AI, 'Frontier Data Centers'. Published online at epoch.ai. Retrieved from 'https://epoch.ai/data/data-centers' [online resource]. Accessed 5 Jan 2026.(2026-01-05)

> Google Omaha

Owner

Location

11110 State St, Omaha, NE 68142

41°20'15"N, 96°05'09"W

H100 Equiv

109.9K

Power

189 MW

Cost

$6.05B

Data Center Sources Sources:

  1. Epoch AI, 'Frontier Data Centers'. Published online at epoch.ai. Retrieved from 'https://epoch.ai/data/data-centers' [online resource]. Accessed 5 Jan 2026.(2026-01-05)

> Google Pryor

Ownerlikely

Location

4581 Webb St, Pryor, OK 74361

36°14'28"N, 95°19'50"W

H100 Equiv

62.9K

Power

195 MW

Cost

$6.21B

Data Center Sources Sources:

  1. Epoch AI, 'Frontier Data Centers'. Published online at epoch.ai. Retrieved from 'https://epoch.ai/data/data-centers' [online resource]. Accessed 5 Jan 2026.(2026-01-05)

> Google New Albany

Ownerlikely

Location

1101 Beech Rd SW, New Albany, OH 43054

40°03'40"N, 82°45'51"W

H100 Equiv

235.4K

Power

543 MW

Cost

$29.12B

Data Center Sources Sources:

  1. Epoch AI, 'Frontier Data Centers'. Published online at epoch.ai. Retrieved from 'https://epoch.ai/data/data-centers' [online resource]. Accessed 5 Jan 2026.(2026-01-05)

> Google Omaha

Ownerlikely

Location

11110 State St, Omaha, NE 68142

41°20'15"N, 96°05'09"W

H100 Equiv

109.9K

Power

189 MW

Cost

$6.05B

Data Center Sources Sources:

  1. Epoch AI, 'Frontier Data Centers'. Published online at epoch.ai. Retrieved from 'https://epoch.ai/data/data-centers' [online resource]. Accessed 5 Jan 2026.(2026-01-05)

> Tags

llmimage generationchatbotsurveillancedata scrapinglayoffsbillionaire ownedmajor player