From Varsha Bansal at Wired, we learn,

Over 200 contractors who work on improving Google’s AI products, including Gemini and AI Overviews, have been laid off, sources say. It’s the latest development in a conflict over pay and alleged poor working conditions.

“Hundreds of Google AI Workers Were Fired Amid Fight Over Working Conditions,” September 15, 2025

At New York Post, Thomas Barrabi adds,

The ousted workers were responsible for testing Google’s Gemini AI chatbot to help its responses sound more human and were employed through an outside firm called GlobalLogic, not Alphabet itself.

Still, Google has faced criticism in the past over the treatment of third-party contractors under its roof…

The problems allegedly accelerated as Google stepped up work on AI in 2023. GlobalLogic began hiring more subcontractors through third parties to meet the labor demand who were paid $18 to $22 per hour for their work – less than the $28 to $32 per hour earned by the firm’s in-house “super raters.”

“Over 200 Google AI subcontractors laid off” after complaining about low pay, poor working conditions: report, September 16, 2025

This scenario (squabbling over low dollars) is consistent with the firm not making as much money off AI as it had hoped to. Stay tuned.