Google has expanded voluntary exit packages to staff in five countries as it reins in costs during its AI spending boom, while its key Google Cloud and DeepMind operations appear excluded from the offers, according to Reuters. The buyout offers began in June this year to some employees in Canada, France, Germany, Japan and Switzerland as the company looks to rein in rising costs amid heavy spending on artificial intelligence. A Google spokesperson said, "In 2025, some of our teams introduced a voluntary exit program with severance," adding that "This past summer, in June, we expanded this program globally in a few countries to support our important work ahead." The latest buyouts follow voluntary exit programs offered since 2025 to employees in some divisions in the US and Britain. Employees in Google Cloud and AI unit DeepMind have been excluded from past buyout offers. In Switzerland, the buyout offer covered multiple divisions but excluded DeepMind; Google employs about 5,000 people and has a major engineering hub in Zurich. Google announced the packages in mid-June and informed employees who had applied of the outcome by mid-July, with workers who accepted eligible for compensation equal to one month's salary for every year of service, capped at 12 months.