Alphabet Adds 11,830 Employees in One Year, Q2 Hiring Exceeds 4,000

ChainCatcher report, according to Business Insider, Alphabet's total employee count increased from 187,103 to 198,933 over the year ending June 30, 2026, a net increase of 11,830. In Q2 2026 alone, the company added over 4,000 employees, accounting for more than one-third of the net increase over the past year—the largest quarterly increase in recent years. During the same period, revenue reached $119.8 billion, a 24% year-over-year growth. Previously, Google laid off 12,000 employees in a single round in 2023, followed by several smaller-scale adjustments. Last week, approximately 4,500 employees jointly submitted a petition to CEO Sundar Pichai requesting stronger protections against layoffs. Alphabet stated it will prioritize long-term AI development and has raised its 2026 capital expenditure forecast to $195 billion to $205 billion, citing ongoing demand for AI infrastructure that continues to exceed available capacity.