Google Widens Buyout Offers to Five More Countries as Alphabet's Spending Plans Balloon

Google extended its voluntary severance program to employees in Canada, France, Germany, Japan and Switzerland on Wednesday, a move Reuters tied to the company's effort to keep costs in check while it pours money into artificial intelligence. The offers cover staff in five additional countries and remain optional.

Capex Guidance Points Higher

The buyout expansion follows Alphabet's quarterly report on October 28, when it flagged heavier investment ahead. Finance chief Anat Ashkenazi said capital expenditures are likely to climb sharply through 2027, though she did not put a figure on the plans.

Revenue for the third quarter of 2026 rose 25% to $127.6 billion. Google Cloud did the heaviest lifting, with sales up 103% to $30.7 billion. Net income attributable to shareholders came in at $26.2 billion.

Portfolio Shifts and a Board Departure

In a Friday regulatory disclosure, Alphabet reported a larger stake in SpaceX: its holding grew from 551.2 million to roughly 555 million shares, according to Reuters. The company also disclosed a Qualcomm position worth almost $548 million, comprising nearly three million shares, with the stated value pegged to September.

Separately, SpaceX said Friday that Alphabet executive Donald Harrison had stepped down from its board with immediate effect. Reuters reported that Harrison notified SpaceX of the decision on Wednesday. According to SpaceX, the resignation did not stem from any disagreement over the company's operations, policies or practices.

Wing's Texas Plant, a Malaysia Bet

Investment plans are also taking shape at Alphabet's Wing. The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that the drone unit intends to spend up to $125 million over the next two years on a manufacturing facility in Fort Worth, Texas, capable of turning out tens of thousands of aircraft annually.

Google, meanwhile, said Wednesday it will invest US$15 billion in Malaysia, covering digital infrastructure and related initiatives.

Shares Rebound With AI Peers

Alphabet stock gained 1.5% on Friday. According to the Associated Press, the advance came alongside a broader recovery in AI-related shares following an earlier selloff. Sentiment in the sector, AP noted, remains weighed down by worries that election outcomes could slow data-center construction, as well as by high financing costs and questions over the scale of AI spending.

On the legal front, Google and developer Ryan Companies reportedly agreed to submit a mitigation plan for review by state and city authorities. Google also filed a separate lawsuit Thursday against California's youth social-media protection law, taking the case to a federal court in San Jose, Reuters reported. The statute restricts features such as autoplay and personalized recommendations for users under 16; Google is seeking to block enforcement, citing free-speech protections and Section 230. Meta and TikTok have filed their own challenges.