Image used for representational purposes. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
| Photo Credit: File photo

More than 20 directors, senior directors and vice presidents were among the signatories, the statement said.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Cognizant and eight other major corporations have been questioned by U.S. Senators for filing thousands of H-1B skilled labour visa petitions after conducting “mass layoffs” of American employees.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley and ranking member Richard Durbin have also questioned Amazon, Apple, Deloitte, Google, JPMorgan Chase, Meta, Microsoft, and Walmart, asking them for details on their hiring and recruitment practices as well as any variation in salary and benefits between H-1B visa holders and American employees.

The Senators said their “inquiry” comes at a time when the unemployment rate in America’s tech sector is “well above” the overall jobless rate. According to the Federal Reserve, recent American graduates with STEM degrees now face higher unemployment rates than the general population, they stated.

It is pertinent to mention that Senator Grassley and Senator Durbin have been vocal critics of the H-1B visa programme and have consistently contended that these visas are being abused by many to replace U.S. workers with cheaper labour from overseas.

In fact, just a few days after their missive to the ten companies, the Senators said they are reintroducing bipartisan legislation to “reform and close loopholes” in the H-1B and L-1 visa programs.

The H-1B and L-1 Visa Reform Act targets fraud and abuse in U.S. immigration system, provides protection for American workers and visa holders and enhances transparency in the foreign worker recruitment process, the two argued.

“In evaluating the high unemployment rate for American tech workers, we cannot ignore the massive, ongoing layoffs ordered by you and your peers in Big Tech C-suites over the past few years…At the same time you have been laying off your employees, you have been filing H-1B visa petitions for (thousands of) foreign workers,” the Senators wrote in letters to 10 major employers in the U.S. on September 25, 2025.

They added: “With all of the homegrown American talent relegated to the sidelines, we find it hard to believe that (you) cannot find qualified American tech workers to fill these positions.”

On TCS, the statement noted that the company recently announced plans to lay off over 12,000 employees, including American staff.

“In fiscal year 2025, TCS applied for and received approval to hire 5,505 foreign H1-1B employees. TCS is currently under investigation by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for allegedly firing older American employees in favour of newly hired foreign H-1B visa holders,” it said.

It further said Cognizant Technology Solutions laid off thousands of workers, including employees in the US.

“In fiscal year 2025, Cognizant applied for and received approval to hire 2,493 foreign H-1B employees. In 2024, a federal jury concluded Cognizant favoured South Asian H1-B visa holders over American employees, which warranted punitive damages,” it added.

E-mails sent to TCS and Cognizant for comments by PTI did not elicit a response.

The statement by Grassley and Durbin noted that Amazon laid off tens-of-thousands of employees in recent years, blaming the adoption of generative AI tools. In fiscal year 2025, Amazon applied for and received approval to hire 10,044 foreign H-1B employees.

Google, it said, laid off tens-of-thousands of employees in recent years, including hundreds of workers in its platform and device unit, and 35% of its small team managers “despite enjoying records profits”.

In fiscal year 2025, Google applied for and received approval to hire 4,181 foreign H-1B employees, the statement observed.

According to it, Meta laid off a quarter of its workforce between 2022 and 2023 and labelled it a “year of efficiency”.

“In 2025, Meta laid off 3,600 employees, overshooting its stated goal of laying off another five per cent of its workforce. In fiscal year 2025, Meta applied for and received approval to hire 5,123 foreign H-1B employees,” it said.

Microsoft applied for and received approval to hire 5,189 foreign H-1B employees in fiscal year 2025, as per the statement.

Microsoft laid off 16,000 employees this year alone, despite record revenue and profits, it said adding amid criticism for mass-layoffs, Microsoft characterised its actions as an “enigma of success”.

Published – October 03, 2025 10:49 pm IST

Singapore:

Google will buy carbon credits from an Indian initiative that turns large amounts of agricultural waste into biochar – a form of charcoal that removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and returns it to the soil, it said on Thursday.

The deal – signed by Google and Indian supplier Varaha – is one of the biggest ever involving biochar, and is the tech giant’s first foray into India’s carbon dioxide removal (CDR) sector.

Google is one of a number of big tech companies looking to offset emissions through CDR, which refers to a range of interventions designed to remove CO2 already in the atmosphere and oceans.

While some developers are looking at expensive new technologies that extract CO2 directly from the air, solutions like biochar could prove a cheaper near-term option.

“Biochar is a promising approach to carbon removal because it has the ability to scale worldwide, using existing technology, with positive side effects for soil health,” said Randy Spock, Google’s carbon removal lead.

Varaha will buy waste from hundreds of smallholder farms in India and build reactors to convert it into biochar, which can sequester CO2 for hundreds of years. It will also be supplied to farmers as an alternative to fertilisers.

Google will buy 100,000 tons of carbon credits from now until 2030. Varaha’s chief executive Madhur Jain said there was scope for rapid growth, with waste from India’s farms capable of generating enough biochar to store more than 100 million tons of CO2 every year.

CDR accounts for only a fraction of global carbon trading but is expected to grow rapidly as countries and corporations seek new ways to offset emissions.

However, critics say CDR is no substitute for emission cuts. They also warn that solutions like biochar offer no guarantee the CO2 will be removed permanently.

“We are going to face peak warming,” said Jain. “Even if something just reduces (CO2) or removes it for only 20 to 40 or 50 years, I feel that we need to do everything that we can.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

In the mail, Sundar Pichai said the company launched its latest AI model Gemini 2.0 late last year as well as its quantum computing chip Willow, ending 2024 on a high. There was also innovation, he said, across Search, YouTube and more.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai emphasised the significance of being “one team” as “thousands of Googlers” were dealing with devastating wildfires across Southern California. In an email to employees, Mr Pichai mentioned a Google campaign to help in the wildfire relief efforts.

The worst wildfires in the history of Los Angeles raged across the city and deep into the storied heartland of the American film industry. The homes of movie stars and celebrities were among those consumed by flames, which tore through some of the world’s most lavish real estate and above showbiz landmarks instantly recognisable around the world.

Google’s philanthropic arm Google.org is supporting relief and recovery efforts with funding and an employee matching campaign.

“Our thoughts are with the people and communities affected by the greater Los Angeles wildfires. We have been working closely with local authorities to provide accurate and timely information through our products and services,” the company said in a statement.

The company said people in the affected areas can access SOS alerts, public alerts and wildfire boundaries across Google Search and Maps. “Road closure information is available on both Google Maps and Waze, with Waze also providing emergency shelter locations. These alerts and resources are continuously updated to provide critical safety information from authoritative sources,” it said.

“We are actively monitoring the situation, and we will continue to work with public authorities, share timely information through our products and provide support to the people and communities who are impacted,” it added.

The scale and spread of the blazes stretched exhausted firefighting crews beyond their capacity with at least six separate wildfires – three of them totally out of control – burning in Los Angeles County.

The Los Angeles Fire Department issued an evacuation order for people in an area within Hollywood Boulevard to the south, Mulholland Drive to the north, the 101 Freeway to the east and Laurel Canyon Boulevard to the west – all iconic addresses for film, TV and music. The Hollywood Sign is across the freeway.

On the west side of Los Angeles, the Palisades fire consumed 15,832 acres (6,406 hectares) and hundreds of structures in the hills between Santa Monica and Malibu, racing down Topanga Canyon until reaching the Pacific Ocean on Tuesday.

Google has laid off 10 per cent of its managerial staff as part of an ongoing effort to improve efficiency and redefine its corporate culture, particularly the concept of ‘Googleyness’. CEO Sundar Pichai revealed the decision during a company-wide meeting on Wednesday, explaining that the cuts would affect roles at the manager, director, and vice president levels. While some employees will transition to individual contributor positions, others face complete role eliminations.

What is ‘Googleyness’?

‘Googleyness’ is a term used by Google to describe the traits and qualities that make an individual a good fit for the company. However, the definition of the word has evolved over time. Initially, it was a broad concept that was used to assess whether a candidate would mesh well with Google’s culture. Historically, ‘Googleyness’ was linked to qualities such as intellectual humility, comfort with ambiguity, and a sense of fun.

In 2017, Google refined its hiring process by updating the definition of ‘Googleyness’. Previously, this term had been loosely defined, often used interchangeably with “cultural fit,” which was a key factor in hiring decisions. However, Google realised that equating Googleyness with cultural fit could lead to bias, favouring candidates from similar backgrounds or perspectives. This could result in a homogeneous workplace, lacking diversity in race, gender, and socioeconomic background.

The shift aimed to focus on attributes that genuinely help individuals thrive in Google’s dynamic, fast-paced environment. ‘Googleyness’, according to former Head of People Operations Laszlo Bock, involves qualities like intellectual humility, a sense of fun, conscientiousness, comfort with ambiguity, and the ability to learn and grow. It emphasizes traits such as being proactive, transparent, humble, and adaptable, while also encouraging employees to take courageous paths in their personal and professional lives.

Now, during an all-hands meeting this week, CEO Sundar Pichai clarified the definition, explaining that it had become too broad and needed refinement. According to Mr Pichai, ‘Googleyness’ now focuses on being “Mission First,” prioritising the company’s goals, and being both “Bold and Responsible” in decision-making. It also reportedly includes qualities like staying “Scrappy” (resourceful) and having fun while working, emphasizing teamwork and a sense of unity, summarized under the motto “Team Google”.

These changes align with Google’s ongoing workforce restructuring efforts, which include the December 19 layoffs and previous job cuts in the company’s global advertisement and cloud units. The layoffs come as part of Google’s larger strategy to stay competitive in the fast-evolving AI sector, with the company launching Gemini 2.0, an AI model poised to drive innovation in the tech industry.

Tech giant Google on Monday announced the appointment of Preeti Lobana as the new country manager and vice president for India.

She succeeds Sanjay Gupta, who recently transitioned to an elevated role as President of the Asia Pacific region at Google.

As the new Country Manager and Vice President for India, Ms Lobana will play a key role in shaping Google’s strategy to bring the transformative power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to all customers, fostering innovation, a Google release said.

“A seasoned Googler with eight years of experience as Vice President of customer-centric solutions, Preeti will now spearhead Google India’s sales and operations, driving the company’s commitment to India’s burgeoning digital economy,” according to the release.

Sanjay Gupta, President of Asia-Pacific, Google said India’s vibrant digital landscape has been a source of immense inspiration and innovation for the company.

“With AI poised to redefine the boundaries of what’s possible, I am incredibly excited to welcome my colleague, Preeti, as our new Country Manager…Preeti’s leadership will be instrumental as we deepen our engagement with India’s unique ecosystem, leveraging AI advancements like Gemini 2.0 to accelerate digital inclusion and unlock unprecedented economic opportunities for every Indian,” Gupta said.

In her new role, Ms Lobana will partner deeply with Roma Datta Chobey, who led as the interim country manager and will continue her leadership as Managing Director for Google India’s Digital Native Industries.

As per the release, Ms Lobana brings over 30 years of experience in senior leadership roles across the technology and financial industries, giving her a deep understanding of the evolving Indian landscape.

Her career has been marked by a consistent focus on business transformation, operational excellence, and customer experience.

Most recently, she served as Google’s Vice President, gTech – Process, Partner, Publisher Operations, Ads Content and Quality Operations, leading a global team and driving innovative ad solutions and support for Google’s customers and partners.

Before Google, she held leadership positions at NatWest Group, American Express, Standard Chartered Bank and ANZ Grindlays Bank, where she specialised in areas of business strategy, product management, and operational excellence across diverse markets in India.

An alumnus of the Indian Institute of Management – Ahmedabad, Ms Lobana has a track record of successfully driving change and transformation within large, complex organisations, building high-performing teams, and fostering collaboration across diverse talent, Google said.

“I’m incredibly excited to step into this role and lead Google’s efforts in India…India’s dynamic spirit and Google’s cutting-edge technology create a powerful synergy,” Ms Lobana said.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)