Google said the break is needed to "refine its approach" and "stay ahead of the curve — pushing the boundaries of technology, business, and policy". Without providing many details, the company said its revised plan "enhances our focus on new technology and deployment methods to make superfast internet more abundant than it is today".
It also means the resignation of Craig Barratt, who has headed the fibre activities as CEO of Access at Alphabet. Google did not comment on his successor. Barratt delivered the news in a blog post, saying the fibre business is "solid" and continues to grow customers and revenues quickly.
Bloomberg reported separately that along with Barratt, around 9 percent of the staff at the fibre operations are being let go. A person familiar with the matter said about 1,500 people are employed at the venture, meaning more than 130 job losses. A former executive at Google Fiber told the news agency that there was a struggle inside the company over whether to push ahead with the roll-out, with Barratt and Dennis Kish, who runs Google Fiber day-to-day, pushing for a big expansion, and others considered about the prohibitive costs of digging up streets.
