On: Google To Cut 200 Jobs

[ComputerGuru]

Google is still actively hiring engineers. While they're letting go some sales & marketing people, recruiters, head-hunters, interns, and engineers are still green-lighted.

[durin42 → ComputerGuru]

I've not seen that to be the case - in fact, from what my friends have told me, they're doing only replacement hiring right now.

[nostrademons → durin42]

Those two statements are not mutually exclusive: replacement hiring is still hiring.

[oscardelben → nostrademons]

And profitable if you do with a more skilled person. However I hope replaced people are reallocated somewhere else.

[ComputerGuru → durin42]

I'm just going my what I've been told by G's head-hunters.

[andreyf → ComputerGuru]

I'm really confused as to why, aside from cash problems, any company would do otherwise...

Companies thrive on hiring more people, motivating them to create x amount of wealth (on average), and giving them salaries, benefits, and resources worth 0.9x (on average). More smart engineers means more x, means more 0.1x, and more profit. A recession is a time that there are more smart engineers in the market, not fewer.