2025 Tech Layoffs to Continue: Thousands Handed Pink Slips as Big Tech Doubles Down on AI

• The tech industry is continuing to experience layoffs in 2025.
• AI offers companies new avenues for efficiency and cost reduction, cited as a key factor in global workforce reductions.
• A recent survey found that 51% of U.K. business leaders planned to “redirect investment from staff to AI.”

As Big Tech rallies forward with advanced AI development, concerns surrounding mass job displacement have continued to grow.

According to a global survey of C-suite executives last year, the use of AI will significantly reduce the number of workers at thousands of companies over the next five years.

The Adecco Group and Oxford Economics poll, which interviewed 2,000 executives, found that 41% expected to employ fewer people due to the emerging technology.

In 2024, 152,472 tech employees were laid off across 549 tech companies, according to Layoffs.fyi.

At the time of reporting, over 27,762 employees have been laid off across over 100 tech companies in 2025.

In the wider job market, U.S.-based employers announced 172,017 job cuts in February, marking the highest total for the month since 2009, according to a March Challenger, Gray & Christmas report.

April

Google

Alphabet Inc. has laid off several hundred employees from Google’s Platforms and Devices division, including teams working on Android, Chrome, and other key products, The Information reported , citing people familiar with the matter.

This follows a voluntary exit program launched in March, which allowed eligible staff members to obtain 14 weeks’ salary plus an additional week for each full year of employment.

The restructuring comes as Alphabet implements more AI into its products and looks to streamline operations across its business.

Microsoft

Microsoft is considering another round of layoffs, which could occur in May.

Business Insider reported that leaders and middle managers in some teams are currently deliberating on how to increase the ratio of coders to non-coders in future projects, citing people familiar with the matter.

A source told the publication that the upcoming layoffs could also target lower performers. Some leaders are considering firing employees who received an “Impact 80” or lower performance review score for two years in a row.

Meta

Meta is shuttering three offices at its complex in Fremont, California, as the company looks to optimize its space usage by renegotiating its office leases, the San Francisco Standard reported .

The staff from the three closed-down buildings will be relocated to Menlo Park headquarters and elsewhere in the Fremont campus.

Over the past three years, CEO Mark Zuckerberg laid off thousands of workers and looked to optimize costs across the business.

In a January filing , Meta said it had 2 million square feet of unoccupied office and building space, which it planned to close as part of “facilities consolidation restructuring efforts.”

Automattic

The owner of Wordpress and Tumblr has announced it plans to lay off 16% of its workforce.

In a blog post on April 6, the company shared a message to employees from CEO Matt Mullenweg: “While our revenue continues to grow, Automattic operates in a highly competitive market, and technology is evolving at unprecedented levels.

“To support our customers and products, we must improve our productivity, profitability, and capacity to invest,” he added. “I recognize this is a difficult time.”

Canva

Ten of Canva’s 12 technical writing team has been laid off as the company expands its dependency on AI, the Australian Financial Review (AFR) reported .

The majority of the team has updated their LinkedIn profiles with an end date to their roles in March.

Anonymous employees reportedly told AFR that they had been given orders to increase the use of generative AI in their work, and received reassurance that AI would not lead to layoffs.

“After thoughtful consideration, we are evolving our technical content writing function to better align with how our engineering teams create and maintain documentation,” a Canva spokesperson said.

“As our ways of working continue to evolve, we’ve been empowering engineers to take greater ownership of documentation while incorporating new tools to support this process,” they added.

March

Infosys

Indian technology service firm Infosys has terminated 45 more trainees, adding to its 350 layoffs in February, The Times of India reported , citing people familiar with the matter.

The firm fired 45 trainees in India after claiming they failed to clear internal assessments after three attempts.

Previously, the company let go of 700 trainees in October after they failed to beat assessments and claimed a further 350 “resigned” following the assessment in February.

Infosys maintained that the tests were essential to maintaining a high quality of talent within the company.

Block

Jack Dorsey’s fintech firm Block has laid off 931 employees due to strategy and performance reasons.

In a leaked message seen by TechCrunch , Dorsey said the firm was “making some org changes, including eliminating roles and beginning the consultation process in countries where required.”

Around 460 employee roles were cut due to performing “below” the performance rating in the company’s internal performance metrics.

The other 391 people were cut for “strategy” reasons.

Dorsey added that 80 managers would also be cut, while 748 open roles would close at the company.

Niantic

Software development firm Niantic, best known for creating Pokémonn GO, is laying off over 60 employees in San Fransisco after selling a wave of its largest games for $3.85 billion.

In a staff email on March 20 , Niantic CEO John Hanke implied the layoffs were a necessity “to operate as a startup organization.”

“We carefully evaluated the structure we believe is needed for the new company, and after a lot of consideration, it became clear that some roles would not be required given our new focus,” he said,

Hanke added that the layoffs had nothing to do with performance.

IBM

Tech giant International Business Machines (IBM) is axing an estimated 9,000 jobs in the U.S. by the end of the year, with a large number of roles being impacted in India,  The Register reported , citing sources familiar with the matter.

Employees in IBM’s corporate social responsibility, sales and cloud infrastructure divisions will be impacted, according to the sources.

IBM’s Cloud Classic division will reportedly see a quarter of its team impacted by the cuts.

Job cuts have also been confirmed in Raleigh, North Carolina; New York City and State; Dallas, Texas; and California, the publication said.

Siemens

Siemens has announced plans to cut over 6,000 jobs globally due to weak demand and increasing competition.

The layoffs will equate to around two percent of Siemen’s global workforce and focus mainly on its factory automation arm.

Since the start of fiscal 2023, muted demand primarily in the key markets of China and Germany coupled with increased competitive pressures have considerably reduced orders and revenue in the industrial automation business,” the company said in a statement .

The full measures are expected to be completed by fiscal 2027, the company stated.

Citigroup

Bank and financial services firm Citigroup has announced plans to reduce the number of contractors working in its IT department from 50% to 20%.

Tim Ryan, head of technology at Citigroup, said the firm would hire more staff with the goal of employing 50,000 staff in its technology department, according to an internal presentation viewed by Reuters.

The company employed 48,000 staff in 2024.

“Citi is growing our internal technology capabilities to support our strategy to improve safety and soundness, enable revenue growth and drive efficiencies,” Citi told Reuters.

Wayfair

Online retail company Wayfair has announced it is cutting 340 tech employees from its workforce.

In an update posted to its website on Friday, March 7, the company said it was having to refocus and streamline its operations for its next phase of growth.

The 340 positions are being cut as it closes its Technology Development Center located in Texas.

“With the foundation of this transformation now in place, our technology needs have shifted,” the company said.

“To best support Wayfair’s next phase of growth, we must refocus our resources, streamline our operations, and ensure our teams are structured for long-term success,” it added.

TikTok

Peter Burke, Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment of Ireland, confirmed that redundancies at TikTok’s Irish offices will take place in April.

Irish public broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTE) reported that Ireland’s Department of Enterprise received a collective redundancy notification from TikTok on March 4.

Up to 300 staff are at risk at TikTok’s Irish operations, where the social media company employs 3,000 workers.

“My first thoughts are with the employees impacted by this announcement along with their families,” Burke told the broadcaster.

“TikTok is a significant employer in Ireland and as part of the proposed restructuring, (the) Government understands that there may be a number of open roles available to employees who are at risk of being made redundant,” he added.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Cloud computing giant Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) has announced it is laying off 5% of its workforce, approximately 3000 staff, after a weaker-than-expected revenue forecast, Bloomberg reported .

The cuts are expected to save the company around $350 million in costs by fiscal 2027.

According to its most recent annual SEC report , HPE employed 61,000 people at the end of October 2024.

February

Google

Google is planning to cut employees from its cloud and “People Operations” sectors as part of internal reorganisations, CNBC reported on Feb. 27.

The layoffs come after Alphabet finance boss Anat Ashkenazi said she wanted to make cuts across the company to further invest in AI.

The tech giant has offered U.S.-based, full-time employees in People Operations a voluntary exit program starting in early March, according to a memo viewed by the publication.

eBay

Online marketplace eBay is set to lay off a dozen employees in Israel, which is expected to affect around 10% of the country’s 250-person workforce, Calcalist reported.

The layoffs mark the fourth round of company cuts in Israel.

Autodesk

Architecture software company Autodesk has announced plans to lay off 1,350 employees, around 9% of its total workforce.

“This decision was made after careful consideration, and I sincerely regret the impact on those who may be affected,” President and CEO, Andrew Anagnost, said in a company-wide memo .

“You have my assurance that Autodesk will do everything possible to support impacted employees and treat them with care throughout this process,” he added.

Autodesk also announced significant reductions in its facilities.

DBS

DBS, Southeast Asia’s largest bank, has announced plans to cut 4,000 of its contract and temporary staff over the next three years.

CEO Piyush Gupta confirmed to Bloomberg that the bank has laid off the employees as it increasingly deploys AI across its business.

The company currently employs between 8,000 and 9,000 temporary and contract staff, with its total workforce exceeding 40,000.

Gupta said that permanent staff will not be affected.

SeatGeek

Online ticket giant SeatGeek is allegedly laying off 15% of its global workforce, according to employees announcing their departure on LinkedIn.

On February 19, former workers from SeatGeek’s Berlin and New York offices began speaking out online about their layoffs.

One former software engineer said they had found out about the termination “abruptly.”

Another SeatGeek worker wrote: “Learned today I am part of the 15% layoff at SeatGeek.”

SeatGeek did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Bird

Cloud communication firm Bird has confirmed it is cutting 120 roles as it looks to reorganize its global operations following increased adoption of AI.

First reported by TechCrunch , the Amsterdam-based company said most of the layoffs will be based in Europe.

Robert Vis, Bird founder and CEO, said the layoffs were not due to cost reduction as the company’s “financials remain strong.” The layoffs are mainly due to the company’s increased reliance on AI.

“The changes will help us return to the agile, focused model that drove our early success — starting with SMS and expanding to become one of the world’s largest providers of business communications solutions,” Vis said.

Zepz

London-based fintech firm Zepz is reportedly laying off around 200 IT workers as part of a sweeping redundancy plan, according to CNBC , citing two people familiar with the matter.

The layoffs, which will equate to roughly 20% of the total workforce, are expected to impact several areas of its IT department.

Zepz said it was currently on a journey to optimize operations across the organization, bolstered by advancements in automation and AI.

“This transformation has reinforced the technology foundation and reduced the need for certain operational and technical capacities, prompting a proposed reduction in roles as part of the overall plan,” a Zepz spokesperson said.

Workday

Workday has announced it will be cutting around 8.5% of its workforce, equating to around 1,750 jobs, as the company doubles down on AI investment.

The HR and finance giant said on Wednesday, Feb. 6, that the decision was also made due to increasing competition and an uncertain spending environment.

In a public memo to employees, CEO Carl Eschenbach said the demand for AI had created a “massive opportunity” for the company.

“Companies everywhere are reimagining how work gets done, and the increasing demand for AI has the potential to drive a new era of growth for Workday,” Eschenbach wrote.

“This creates a massive opportunity for us, but we need to make some changes to better align our resources with our customers’ evolving needs,” he added.

Workday said it expects to incur between $230 million to $270 million in charges following the reduction plan.

Salesforce

Salesforce is reportedly expected to cut over 1,000 employees as part of its restructuring efforts and shift to AI-focused hiring.

According to a Bloomberg report , the impacted staff will have the chance to apply for other internal roles.

Salesforce has reportedly laid off 8,000 employees since 2023.

The company is expected to announce the most recent layoffs before the start of the fiscal year.

January

Ubisoft

In January, gaming giant Ubisoft announced it was closing its U.K.-based Leamington studio as part of “ongoing efforts to prioritize projects and reduce cost.”

The studio closure comes with the cutting of 185 jobs.

Ubisoft’s offices in Newcastle, Düsseldorf, and Stockholm are also set to be downsized.

“Unfortunately, this should impact 185 employees overall. We are deeply grateful for their contributions and are committed to supporting them through this transition,” a Ubisoft spokesperson said.

Aqua Security

U.S. cloud-native cybersecurity firm Aqua Security announced it was cutting dozens of jobs in several locations globally.

The cyber unicorn, which previously laid off 50 jobs in 2023, currently has around 450 employees.

Aqua Security said the layoffs were part of a strategic reorganization aimed at focusing on customer needs and “flattening the organization.”

“As part of this move, we regretfully had to say goodbye to a small portion of Aqua’s employees globally, including in Israel,” the company said in a statement. “Aqua is nearing profitability and is financially stable.”

“These changes will enable us to continue driving growth and innovation while securing cloud-native applications in the best way possible, creating new opportunities for both the company and its customers,” it added.

Stripe

Irish-American payments platform Stripe is laying off 300 people, according to a leaked memo seen by Business Insider .

Rob McIntosh, the company’s chief people officer, said the change will affect employees primarily in product, engineering, and operations roles.

However, McIntosh said the company planned to grow its headcount back to 10,000 by the end of the year.

“It became clear that there were several team-level changes needed to make sure we have the right people in the right roles and locations to execute against our plans,” McIntosh said in the memo.

“I want to be clear that we’re not slowing down hiring — we expect to grow headcount across all our locations and to land at about 10,000 Stripes by the end of the year,” he added.

Meta

Meta announced it cut 5% of its staff and will target “low performers” as the company prepares for “an intense year.”

According to its most recent quarterly report, the Facebook owner currently has over 72,000 employees. The tech giant said affected employees will be notified by Feb. 10.

The layoffs mark Meta’s most extensive since it removed almost a quarter of its workforce, approximately 21,000 jobs, in 2022 and 2023.

BlackRock

On Jan. 8, Bloomberg reported that BlackRock was planning to lay off around 1% of its 21,000 workforce, which will affect around 200 people.

BlackRock’s chief operating officer, Rob Goldstein, said the cuts would help realign the firm’s resources.

Microsoft

Microsoft is planning an unspecified number of job cuts in 2025 after taking a look at underperforming employees, Business Insider reported , citing two people familiar with the matter.

A Microsoft spokesperson also confirmed cuts to the publication.

“At Microsoft we focus on high performance talent,” the spokesperson said. “We are always working on helping people learn and grow. When people are not performing, we take the appropriate action.”

Companies Prioritizing AI

AI is offering new frontiers for unparalleled efficiency and cost reduction, which is leading to an increase in layoffs across tech and a range of industries in 2025.

Hugo Farinha, founder of AI testing firm Virtuoso QA, told CCN that the immediate impact of AI was in the automation of administrative tasks in tech companies, leading to a reduction in entry-level roles.

“Over the long term, this will shift the focus towards more strategic, analytical, and customer-facing positions as AI takes over routine tasks,” Farinha said. “The job market will continuously evolve alongside AI advancements, requiring ongoing adaptation and learning to stay relevant.”

In the U.K., 51% of business leaders said they planned to “redirect investment from staff to AI.”

Nick South, BCG managing director, said: “People are starting to see, with AI and generative AI, the potential of those technologies to be more productive . . . in a world where the costs of employment are increasing.

“Over time, you will see organizations reshaping the size and shape of their workforces.”

At the same time, in the U.S., a survey of 1,000 U.S. managers found that 45% of companies anticipate layoffs in 2025, with many citing AI automation and economic concerns.