Over the past few months, numerous companies have either made cuts, or shifted their business strategy in an attempt to readjust and right the ship for the upcoming year. In an effort to consolidate some of its work force, Google will apparently merge its Geo and Waze teams in order cut costs.

According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, the company plans to merge around 500 people from the Waze team with Google's team that works on Maps, Earth, and other related products and services. The publication states that this going to happen on December 9. Unfortunately, there seems to be some losses in the process, as it is reported that Waze CEO Neha Parikh will exit the company after the merger.

Despite combining the teams, Google maintains that it will keep all products separate, with Waze remaining a stand-alone product. While the move will reduce overlap in the company, speaking with the source, Google did state that it does not plan to lay off any members of the team. A spokesperson stated "“Google remains deeply committed to Waze’s unique brand, its beloved app, and its thriving community of volunteers and users.”

Google originally acquired Waze almost ten years ago for the sum of $1.1 billion. Since that time, Google has kept the service running as an independent entity, with the service delivering improvements and features to the app. Waze currently has over 150 million active users, which is quite a bit but doesn't even compare to the 1 billion users that Google Maps has.

This isn't the first instance we're heard about when it comes to adjustments. Prior, the company made strategic adjustments like shifting resources away from less important projects and putting it towards more pressing things like its hardware business. Perhaps the biggest shake-up this year was the closure of its Stadia game streaming service. While the company has made right by its customers by refunding hardware and game purchases through its platform, the move came as quite a surprise.

While Google has yet to lay off its workforce, there have been reports that it will do so starting in 2023. We have reached out to Google for comment but have yet to hear back. We will update this article if we receive a response.

Source: The Wall Street Journal