In a recent Bloomberg interview held in downtown San Francisco on Wednesday, Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Alphabet, addressed concerns that artificial intelligence (AI) might eventually render half of the company’s 180,000 employees redundant. Pichai emphasized the company’s commitment to expansion, anticipating growth through at least the next year.

Pichai expressed his expectations for continued growth, stating, “I anticipate that we will expand beyond our current engineering phase and into next year, as this enables us to accomplish more.” He highlighted AI’s role in enhancing engineer productivity by automating tedious tasks, allowing them to focus on more impactful work. Rather than replacing human workers, Pichai views AI as “an accelerator” that will drive the development of new products, thereby creating a greater demand for employees.

Alphabet has undergone multiple rounds of layoffs in recent years. Although the company has made cuts in 2025, they appear to be more targeted compared to previous years. Earlier this year, Google’s cloud division reportedly let go of fewer than 100 employees, and more recently, the company laid off hundreds of employees in its platforms and devices unit. In contrast, the layoffs in 2024 and 2023 were more severe, with 12,000 employees let go in 2023 and at least 1,000 employees laid off last year.

Looking ahead, Pichai cited Alphabet’s expanding ventures, such as Waymo’s autonomous vehicles, quantum computing initiatives, and YouTube’s rapid growth, as evidence of the ongoing emergence of innovation opportunities. He noted YouTube’s substantial presence in India, with 100 million channels and 15,000 channels boasting over one million subscribers.

When asked about the potential impact of AI on job displacement, Pichai acknowledged the legitimacy of these concerns. He referenced Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei’s recent comments that AI could lead to the erosion of half of entry-level white-collar jobs within five years, stating, “I respect those concerns and believe it’s essential to voice and debate them.” Pichai also noted that trying to think too far ahead can be “pointless.”

As the interview concluded, Pichai was questioned about the limits of AI and the possibility that the world might never achieve artificial general intelligence (AGI), which refers to AI that is as intelligent as humans in all aspects. After a brief pause, he responded, “There’s significant forward progress ahead with the paths we’re currently on, not only with the ideas we’re working on today but also with some of the newer ideas we’re experimenting with.”

Pichai expressed his optimism regarding the potential progress of AI, stating, “I’m very optimistic about seeing significant progress.” However, he also acknowledged the potential for temporary plateaus in technological advancements, adding, “You’ve always had these technology curves where you may hit a temporary plateau. So, are we currently on an absolute path to AGI? I don’t think anyone can say for sure.”