Key Points:
- Google plans to reorganize a major part of its 30,000-person ad sales unit
- The reorganization comes as Google relies more on machine-learning techniques for ad sales
Alphabet-owned Google is reportedly planning to reorganize a large portion of its 30,000-person ad sales unit amidst the growth of automation and artificial intelligence (AI). The move is aimed at consolidating staff and restructuring ad sales teams to better align with Google’s increased reliance on machine-learning techniques for ad sales.
Last week, Sean Downey, who oversees ad sales to major customers in the Americas, announced plans for the reorganization at a department-wide meeting. While details about the restructuring, including whether layoffs will be included, were not explicitly mentioned, Google’s plans are to reassign employees in its large customer sales unit who manage relationships with major advertisers.
Google’s increased use of machine-learning techniques is aimed at helping customers buy more advertisements on its search engine, YouTube, and other services. The company has been investing heavily in AI and automation to streamline its ad sales process and deliver personalized ads to users.
This reorganization follows Google’s announcement earlier this year to cut 12,000 jobs globally, roughly 6% of its workforce. Google has previously restructured and consolidated various teams within its organization, including the recent layoffs at mapping app Waze as the company merged the app’s advertising system with Google Ads technology.
As Google continues to adapt to the growing influence of automation and AI in the advertising industry, the reorganization of its ad sales unit is a strategic move to better leverage machine-learning techniques and meet the changing needs and demands of its customers.