London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Oct 19, 2025

Not even Google's cleaning robots are safe from the tech industry's layoffs and cost-cutting efforts

Not even Google's cleaning robots are safe from the tech industry's layoffs and cost-cutting efforts

Google is shutting down Everyday Robots, a subsidiary that made robots that could perform simple tasks like cleaning the company's campus.

The recent string of layoffs hitting the tech industry is now stretching beyond just humans — it's also impacting robots.

Google is reportedly shutting down a company that created and trained dozens of robots that performed simple tasks at the company's headquarters. Everyday Robots — which was formed within X, the "moonshot program" of Google's parent company Alphabet — is being shuttered as a cost-cutting measure, according to Wired.

The company developed over 100 robots trained to perform tasks like cleaning cafeteria tables and separating trash and recyclables. The robots were also programmed to open doors and replace missing chairs in offices through a variety of teaching techniques, Chief Robot Officer Hans Peter Brandom wrote in a November 2021 update.

Everyday Robots' original goal was to create a "general purpose" robot that can perform a wide variety of tasks in many different environments, according to the X website. The robots use cameras and machine learning to evaluate their environment, and position their arm to clean and perform simple tasks.

According to Wired's conversations with ex-Everyday Robots employees, the decision to shut down Everyday Robots was made as part of the wider cost-cutting initiatives Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced last month, including laying off 12,000 employees.

Everyday Robots and Google did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment, however a spokesperson told Wired it will no longer be a separate project within Alphabet, but an unspecified amount of staff and technology will be retained within Google's existing robotics programs.

The robots also had language models like the technology behind ChatGPT incorporated into its abilities so it could understand verbal commands, and perform tasks like taking snack requests for hungry employees or understanding when someone asked for help cleaning a spill.


Many of Everyday Robots' over 200 staff members were unsure if their primary goal was developing new technology or creating a robot that would be commercialized for consumers, per Wired.

"It's unfortunate to see it shut down," one former employee told Wired. "We are starting to see that robots can do meaningful work in a general way. I don't think it's a sign of a lack of progress. With the right focus, in five years you could have a meaningful product in the market."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
DJI Loses Appeal to Remove Pentagon’s ‘Chinese Military Company’ Label
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Australian Prime Minister’s Private Number Exposed Through AI Contact Scraper
Ex-Microsoft Engineer Confirms Famous Windows XP Key Was Leaked Corporate License, Not a Hack
China’s lesson for the US: it takes more than chips to win the AI race
Australia Faces Demographic Risk as Fertility Falls to Record Low
California County Reinstates Mask Mandate in Health Facilities as Respiratory Illness Risk Rises
Israel and Hamas Agree to First Phase of Trump-Brokered Gaza Truce, Hostages to Be Freed
French Political Turmoil Elevates Marine Le Pen as Rassemblement National Poised for Power
China Unveils Sweeping Rare Earth Export Controls to Shield ‘National Security’
The Davos Set in Decline: Why the World Economic Forum’s Power Must Be Challenged
France: Less Than a Month After His Appointment, the New French Prime Minister Resigns
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Sarah Mullally Becomes First Woman Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury
×