Google has eliminated 35% of managers overseeing small teams in past year (cnbc.com)

Article summary

Google has eliminated 35% of its managers overseeing small teams in the past year, with the goal of reducing bureaucracy and increasing efficiency. The reduction refers to managers who oversee fewer than three people, and many of those managers have been converted to individual contributors. The company has also implemented cost-cutting measures, including buyouts and slowed hiring. Google's CEO, Sundar Pichai, stated that the company needs to be more efficient as it scales up.

Main themes

• Management restructuring
• Efficiency and bureaucracy
• Cost-cutting measures
• Team size and management
• Corporate culture

What commenters say

• Having a manager oversee fewer than three people is often inefficient and can lead to over-management and demoralization of team members.
• Some argue that a team size of 5 is ideal for a first-line manager, while others believe that a higher employee-to-manager ratio can be beneficial in forcing managers to delegate and let go of busywork.
• Managers with too few direct reports may invent unnecessary work or micromanage, while those with too many reports may be unavailable to their team and neglect planning and process tasks.
• The elimination of small team managers may be a consequence of promoting individuals to management roles too quickly, without sufficient experience or support.
• Some commenters believe that having a dedicated people manager and dedicated engineers is more effective than having a single person fill both roles.
• Others argue that the ideal team size and management structure depend on the specific company, product, and goals, and that there is no one-size-fits-all solution.