Google Ads lays off hundreds of staff amid support crisis

Google will lay off approximately 1,000 employees from its advertising sales team this year.

Why we care. Advertisers told Search Engine Land last week that they are already struggling to solve issues impacting their Google Ads accounts as they can’t get hold of their reps. The reduction in staff could exacerbate the situation, further complicating problem resolution for marketers.

Changes to come. News of the staff layoffs comes just weeks after Google Ads Liaison Officer, Ginny Marvin, confirmed that support is not being phased out but “changes are being made.” Google has not confirmed what changes we can expect, but Marvin did add:

• “I do think Support is an area where LLMs/Google AI will be able to make big strides in improving experiences. That’s not happening yet, but work is underway. Stay tuned.”

What Google is saying: Commenting on the staff layoffs, a Google spokesperson told Search Engine Land:

• “Every year we go through a rigorous process to structure our team to provide the best service to our Ads customers.”
• “We map customers to the right specialist teams and sales channels to meet their service needs. As part of this, a few hundred roles globally are being eliminated and impacted employees will be able to apply for open roles or elsewhere at Google.”

Deep dive. Read our deep dive into why advertisers think Google Ads support is at an all-time low for more information.