In an interview, Google's head of engineering in Europe says that the company will hire thousands of new engineers.Just two months after Google conceded that it is watching its expanding headcount, news slips out that it plans to increase its work force by nearly a third.
Nelson Mattos, the software giant's new head of engineering in Europe, himself a pick up from rival IBM, told the Financial Times of London Sept. 26 that he intends to hire thousands of engineers to make Google's European operations equivalent in size to those in the United States. European engineers account for just 500 of Google 7,000 worldwide. Google employs more than 13,000 people in all.
Mattos said he hoped that EU engineers would be more attuned to the issues important in Europe and many speculate that it may be a measure taken to staunch criticism that Google is another aggressive U.S. multinational.
"We are not seen correctly in Europe," Mattos told the FT. "My impression is that Google is seen as a big U.S. company that is here to make money."
"There is a lack of understanding of how we work. People don't understand the business model, the new computing environment and the employees in shorts."
Google officials declined to corroborate the FT article and Mattos statements or reveal hiring plans.
"While we don't make projections of specific numbers, we're always hiring," a Google spokesperson told eWEEK. "We're investing in roles across Europe because we have lots of users in Europe and European engineers help us innovate for our users around the world. We have an engineering centre in London and 11 others around the EMEA region."
In July, after Google's reported third quarter earnings fell slightly below analyst expectations, executives blamed an accelerated workforce expansion—12,238 to 12,786, or 13 percent in Q3—and Google chairman and CEO Eric Schmidt promised to keep hiring in check.
