Google CEO warns of more layoffs in internal memo

(CNN) — Google CEO Sundar Pichai has warned his employees to prepare for more layoffs in the coming months, as the tech giant refocuses its efforts towards artificial intelligence “and beyond.”

In a memo sent to the entire company and obtained by CNN, Pichai said Wednesday that the staff cuts — which have already taken a toll Hundreds of employees Google last week alone – it won't be as large as last year's layoffs, which reduced Google's workforce by 12,000 employees.

He said some parts of Google's business will not be affected by this year's changes. However, “some teams will continue to make specific resource allocation decisions throughout the year as necessary, and some functionality may be impacted,” Pichai wrote.

“We have ambitious goals and will invest in our biggest priorities this year,” Pichai added. “The reality is that in order to create the capacity for this investment, we must make difficult decisions… [y] Simplifying implementation and increasing speed in some areas.

“I know it is very difficult to see colleagues and teams affected,” Pichai continued, adding that the company is committed to supporting affected employees and helping them find work elsewhere at Google or outside the company.

The memo was issued at the same time as the newspaper New York times YouTube, a subsidiary of Google, will lay off 100 workers, it was reported on Wednesday. CNN has not independently verified the YouTube layoffs.

A Google spokesperson confirmed to CNN the existence of Pichai's memo, as well as the layoffs at YouTube, which affect about 100 positions in the company's alliances organization responsible for reaching creators on YouTube.