this post was submitted on 11 Apr 2025
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  • Google is set to cut hundreds of new jobs in its device and platforms divisions soon.
  • The company has continued to cut its Google Pixel teams, doing so earlier this year as well.
  • Rival Microsoft is considering a new round of layoffs next month, per reports.
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[–] [email protected] 15 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

While at the same time opening new positions for Pixel teams in Poland, for example.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 weeks ago

Well, if you don't need programmers to work in place place at the corporate headquarters, you can hire them anywhere.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Why would they need more staff if they plan on developing it in a closed source manner now?

[–] [email protected] 30 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

Android has always been developed in a closed-source manner by Google engineers, the recent changes only reduces the visibility of ongoing changes and the ability for developers outside of OEMs to contribute to Android (such contributions were already rare).

This is explained further in this article:

While some OS components, such as Android’s Bluetooth stack, are developed publicly in the AOSP branch, most components, including the core Android OS framework, are developed privately within Google’s internal branch. Google confirmed to Android Authority that it will soon shift all Android OS development to its internal branch, a change intended to streamline its development process.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 weeks ago

the recent changes only reduces the visibility of ongoing changes and the ability for developers outside of OEMs to contribute to Android (such contributions were already rare).

Why is this so underplayed as if it's nearly meaningless though, is my question? A huge part of open source code is transparency, and this decision is a big blow to exactly that.

Only posting the code when it's finished increases the risk that it will not be correctly scrutinized in the way its been until now, not to mention the precedent this sets. Death of the OS in AOSP by a thousand shallow cuts is what I see here.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Maybe that's what they will do now. But that's not what the announcement said.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 weeks ago

IIRC that announcement came a couple weeks ago.