Google will keep its employees out of its offices and working from home through at least next July, the Wall Street Journal first reported and a source familiar with the policy confirmed to Axios.

Why it matters: It's the first major U.S. company to allow remote work for such an extended period in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

• The move will affect nearly all of the 200,000 employees and contractors across Alphabet, Google's parent company.
• It could spur other tech giants to also extend their remote work periods. Amazon and Snapchat have already said employees can stay home through the end of the year.

What they're saying: "To give employees the ability to plan ahead, we'll be extending our global voluntary work from home option through June 30, 2021 for roles that don't need to be in the office," CEO Sundar Pichai wrote in a company memo.

Our thought bubble, via Axios' Ina Fried: Tech has been the most cautious sector of the economy, both because its main asset are its workers and because much of its work can be done remotely.