YouTube CEO Neal Mohan told employees earlier this month that “the next frontier for YouTube is AI,” setting in motion a significant internal shift. On October 30, Mohan announced a company-wide reorganization of YouTube’s product and engineering functions, alongside a voluntary exit program for U.S. employees. The changes, according to his memo, are intended to position the platform to “make the most of this opportunity” as artificial intelligence becomes central to its product roadmap.
Effective November 5, YouTube’s operations will be structured around three primary product organizations reporting directly to the CEO. Johanna Voolich will lead Viewer Products, which oversees Search and Discovery, the Living Room app, infrastructure, and Trust and Safety. The Creator and Community Products group, temporarily under Voolich’s oversight, will focus on YouTube Shorts, Live, and a growing set of generative AI tools for creators. Christian Oestlien will head the Subscription Products division, responsible for YouTube Premium, Music, TV, and other over-the-top initiatives.
Mohan’s memo also noted structural changes within engineering and design. JT will take on an expanded role as head of UX, with the UX organization moving under Scott, who leads engineering. The integration of the two horizontal teams, Mohan said, is meant to align shared processes and encourage cross-functional efficiency. The Shopping group, led by Travis, will continue to report to Scott. The CEO emphasized that these changes are focused on strengthening decision-making, improving accountability, and ensuring that fast-growing areas receive “the focus and investment they need to succeed.”
The most immediate change for employees, however, is the introduction of a voluntary exit program. In his memo, Mohan said eligible U.S. employees within his direct reporting organization would have the option to leave the company with a severance package. A YouTube spokesperson confirmed that no layoffs or role eliminations are part of this reorganization. Details of the program are being shared individually with employees. While the company did not disclose how many workers are eligible, the program applies only to staff within the restructured product and engineering teams.
Record Growth at Alphabet
The reorganization and exit program come during a period of strong financial performance for YouTube’s parent company, Alphabet. The third-quarter 2025 results, released shortly after Mohan’s memo, marked Alphabet’s first quarter with revenue exceeding $100 billion. Net income rose 33 percent year-over-year, driven in part by YouTube’s accelerating ad business. The platform reported $10.26 billion in ad revenue for the quarter, up 15 percent from a year earlier and ahead of Wall Street expectations. That total is now close to Disney’s Entertainment division, which recorded $10.7 billion in revenue during the same period.
In the memo, Mohan described how YouTube’s earlier bets have shaped the company’s current strength. He noted that the platform has paid more than $100 billion to its creator ecosystem, has been the number-one streaming service in the United States for more than two years, and now counts 125 million YouTube Premium and Music subscribers along with 8 million YouTube TV subscribers. He added that while the business has grown in scale and complexity, its core leadership structure “has not evolved in a decade,” suggesting that the reorganization is intended to bring the internal model in line with the scale of the platform’s operations.
YouTube’s increasing focus on AI is consistent with Mohan’s public comments in recent weeks. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he said that artificial intelligence will play a key role in content creation, describing it as “AI in service of human creativity.” He explained that AI can help creators ideate, develop backgrounds, and enhance their videos more efficiently. “I do think creation is an area where AI will help enormously by making the process easier, faster, and more powerful,” Mohan said. The new Creator and Community Products organization will oversee this integration, developing AI-powered tools to support video creation and editing.
The timing of YouTube’s internal shift coincides with a broader restructuring trend across the technology sector. Earlier in the same week, Amazon confirmed plans to reduce around 14,000 corporate jobs, referencing AI-driven changes to its operations. Meta, Microsoft, and Google’s own DeepMind have also reorganized major divisions this year to align with AI development and deployment. YouTube’s approach differs in that the company is not reducing roles but instead offering voluntary departures, maintaining its workforce while adjusting the structure around evolving technical priorities.
A Voluntary Exit Program, Not Layoffs
In his message to staff, Mohan reiterated his optimism about YouTube’s trajectory. “It’s an incredibly exciting time at YouTube, and many opportunities and challenges lie ahead,” he wrote. “Looking to the future, the next frontier for YouTube is AI, which has the potential to transform every part of the platform.” He said that the reorganization will ensure the company is “set up to make the most of this opportunity” and that leadership teams are equipped to focus on the areas of highest growth and impact.
The changes take effect on November 5. Employees eligible for the voluntary exit program are receiving detailed instructions separately. YouTube’s announcement comes at a time when the platform is expanding its creator tools, growing subscription revenue, and strengthening its position in the global streaming market. There are no layoffs, no new divisions outside the three core product groups, and no immediate operational reductions. But the memo leaves little doubt about where YouTube’s leadership is placing its focus on whether it is building an AI-enabled platform designed to move faster, experiment more, or integrate machine intelligence across every part of the viewing and creation experience.
“I have never been more excited about the future of YouTube,” Mohan concluded. “These changes will set us up well to continue our success.”
