Fitbit cofounders depart Google as part of a major hardware shift that includes layoffs

Big changes are in the works over at Google's Devices and Services division, according to a new report. The changes will include the departures of Fitbit co-founders James Park and Eric Friedman, and will also include hundreds of layoffs in the division.

9to5Google reported first on the departures of Park and Friedman, who joined Google as part of its acquisition of Fitbit, which closed in January 2021. Other Fitbit team members reportedly have also departed with Park and Friedman today.

Google is also reorganizing how the Devices and Services division operates. Previously, the company mostly separated its Pixel, Nest, and Fibit hardware engineering teams into separate groups, each with its own leader. 9to5Google now reports that will change and all of those teams will now be under one hardware engineering group, with one leader. The story did not state who will be the new leader of this unified hardware team.

While Google has not officially confirmed the Fitbit departures or the Devices and Services reorganization. it did confirm in a statement to 9to5Google that it will be cutting "a few hundred roles" in that division. The majority of those job cuts will come from Google's augmented reality team. The company's statement added:

While we are making changes to our 1P AR hardware team, Google continues to be deeply committed to other AR initiatives, such as AR experiences in our products, and product partnerships.

The story says the affected employees will be able to apply for open jobs at Google.

Google will still be a big partner on other AR hardware projects. At CES 2024 this week, Qualcomm announced a new AR/VR chip, the Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2. This processor is slated to be used in Samsung's upcoming AR headset, which will include software provided by Google. The headset is expected to launch in late 2024.