Google, owned by Alphabet Inc., plans to merge its teams working on Maps products and the mapping service Waze with effect from December 9, reports said. The decision to consolidate processes comes as the search giant is facing pressure to streamline operations and cut costs. The restructuring is expected to reduce overlapping work across the Waze and Maps products. Beginning on Friday, Waze’s more than 500 employees will be merged with Google’s Geo organization, which oversees Google Maps, Google Earth, and Street View products. Following a transition period, Waze CEO Neha Parikh will exit her role. Google said it plans to maintain Waze as a stand-alone service and there are no plans to conduct any layoffs as part of the reorganization.
