An internal move at Google hasn't gone unnoticed this week. The Mountain View giant has transferred more than 130 employees from its Health division to Search teams and the wearables company acquired at the beginning of the year, Fitbit.
This reorganization is part of Google's efforts to “expand its focus on health and wellness,” according to an internal email from Google Health chief Dr. David Feinberg, seen by Insider. In addition, it is expected to improve teamwork and the speed of project execution.
According to an internal memorandum, the remaining employees of Google Health, the division in charge of researching clinical tools, health sensors and other solutions, have been consolidated into three teams that will not develop consumer-oriented products .
The migration of talent to Search and Fitbit has represented a cut of 20% of the Google Health workforce . That is to say, of the 700 employees it had, now there have been about 570. The media indicates that the transferred employees were not authorized to speak to the press.
“Google Health will continue to develop products for physicians, conduct research to improve care and make people healthier, and to help ensure that all health-related projects meet the highest standards.”
Google spokesperson After the reorganization of its teams, Google's commitment to health issues does not seem to diminish. Feinberg told a UK NHS Confederation conference that they seek to “bridge the gap” between consumers and professionals.
Feinberg talked about the different projects Google Health is currently working on and referenced Fitbit. According to him, this company fulfills the function of “ connecting everything that surrounds well-being with health so that people can find well-being and feel healthy wherever they are.”
Health and wellness, among the goals of Google
Google Health is working on multiple experimental solutions. One of them is the use of advances in AI to measure vital signs or provide information on skin conditions through a smartphone camera.
He also works on a system called Care Studio, which organizes health information in a more structured way for doctors. Basically it is like a traditional Google search bar . This allows professionals to access patient records in an easy and intuitive way.
Fitbit has a wide range of products focused on health and fitness. These include activity wristbands and smartwatches that measure data such as number of steps, heart rate, and quality of sleep. Now that it is clear that the Google Health teams will not be working on consumer products, it will be interesting to see what Fitbit's next proposals will be.
