It’s another cost-cutting measure by Google, but no layoffs are planned.
The Wall Street Journal has claimed that Google plans to combine its Waze and Maps operations as part of recent cost-cutting initiatives. Google said it will continue to keep the Waze and Maps applications distinct, but the change is intended to lessen duplication of effort across the products.
According to a spokeswoman, “Google is highly dedicated to Waze’s distinctive brand, its well-liked app, and its thriving network of volunteers and users.” After a transitional time, Waze CEO Neha Parikh will step down, but there won’t, according to reports, be any job cuts. The 500-person Waze team will join Google’s Geo division, which is in charge of Maps, Earth, and Street View, as of this Friday.
- The most recent Google Search update makes it easier to follow the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
- Google Messages updates include iOS reactions and YouTube embeds.
Waze and Maps have been sharing features ever since Google acquired Waze for $1.1 billion back in 2013. Waze’s traffic data started appearing in Maps shortly after the acquisition, with speed limits, radar locations and other features arriving later. In return, Waze has benefited from Google’s know-how in search. The FTC launched an antitrust investigation shortly after the acquisition, and at the time, Google said it was keeping Waze as a separate unit “for now.”
It’s been nine years since then, but according to former CEO Noam Bardin, Waze hasn’t enjoyed complete independence. “All of our growth at Waze post acquisition was from work we did, not support from the mothership. Looking back, we could have probably grown faster and much more efficiently had we stayed independent,” he said in a LinkedIn post last year.
Waze has 151 million monthly active users, compared to one billion for Google Maps services. Still, Waze is a highly popular navigation app (particularly in Europe), thanks to its crowd-sourced nature. Individual users can easily report traffic, police, crashes, map problems, radar cameras and more with the touch of a button. Google Maps added the ability to report driving incidents back in 2019, but is less geared around crowdsourcing.
With ad revenue slowing down at Google, CEO Sundar Pichai said in September that he hoped to make the company 20 percent more efficient. Part of that, he said, could be achieved via layoffs and merging multiple products.
