The tech sector, like many other business sectors, goes through cycles of growth. Sometimes we see a boom in the industry, such as during COVID-19, when more people were staying home, resulting in a rise in demand for apps and games and work-from-home solutions. Then the AI hype train pulled into the station. This led to the growth of a new industry, but at the same time, it started replacing jobs that were previously done by humans.
We also shouldn’t forget that economic and political situations play a role, too. Tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump meant that importing from certain countries became more expensive. Companies now had to prioritize. They could either absorb those costs or close down those regional offices and bring back production to the US. In our tech layoffs roundup, we take a look at some of the job cuts we’ve seen in the industry so far.
Intel
Intel led the tech layoffs roundup in 2025 with an estimated 33,900 job cuts. The company revealed plans to reduce its workforce from around 109,000 employees to 75,000 as part of a major restructuring effort. Intel’s struggles stem from increased competition in the AI chip market, where NVIDIA dominates, plus slower progress in mobile chips compared to TSMC and Qualcomm. The company’s CPU controversies in recent years haven’t helped either.
Apple
Apple conducted a rare round of layoffs in November 2025, cutting dozens of jobs across its sales division. The cuts specifically targeted account managers serving major businesses, schools, and government agencies, plus staff who operate Apple’s briefing centers for institutional meetings. One major target was the government sales team working with agencies, including the US Defense Department and Justice Department. Affected employees received until January 20, 2026, to find another position within Apple or receive a severance package. Some impacted workers had been with the company for 20 to 30 years.
Amazon
Amazon just announced its latest round of cuts in January 2026, laying off 16,000 employees as part of what the company calls an “anti-bureaucracy push.” This marks the second major reduction since October 2025, when Amazon cut roughly 14,000 corporate employees. The layoffs span multiple divisions and come as Amazon intensifies its focus on AI development while streamlining operations across its corporate workforce.
Meta
Meta laid off approximately 1,500 employees from its Reality Labs division in January 2026, representing about 10% of that team’s workforce. The cuts come after Reality Labs accumulated over $70 billion in losses since 2021. Meta is shifting focus away from its expensive metaverse obsession toward AI-powered wearables like Ray-Ban smart glasses. Earlier in 2025, Meta cut roughly 3,600 employees, about 5% of its workforce, as CEO Mark Zuckerberg directed executives to reduce 2026 budgets.
Microsoft
Microsoft cut approximately 9,100 jobs across multiple departments in July 2025, with significant impacts to its Xbox division. The layoffs affected studios including Candy Crush developer King, Zenimax, Turn 10 (Forza Motorsport), and The Initiative (Perfect Dark). Xbox boss Phil Spencer said the cuts were meant to position the company for “enduring success” and focus on strategic growth areas. This followed earlier cuts of over 6,000 employees between May and June 2025.
Google slashed hundreds of jobs across its Android and Pixel divisions in April 2025 following the merger of Android and Chrome teams. The cuts came after Google offered voluntary buyouts in January as part of restructuring efforts. Google also continued its cost-cutting strategy through 2025 with “Voluntary Exit Package” offers to employees in Search, Ads, marketing, research, and engineering departments. Back in 2023, Google laid off around 12,000 employees, setting the stage for continued reductions.
Verizon
Verizon confirmed 13,000 layoffs in November 2025, accounting for 13% of its roughly 100,000-person workforce. Every department faced changes as the company cut headcount and reduced outsourcing expenses. Verizon closed one store and converted 179 company-owned retail stores into franchised operations. CEO Dan Schulman said the cuts were part of taking “bold steps” and “fiscally responsible action” to redefine Verizon’s trajectory. Over the past three years, Verizon has cut about 20,000 jobs total.
Salesforce
Salesforce laid off approximately 5,000 employees in 2025. The company notably slashed its customer support workforce by about half, replacing human workers with AI agents capable of handling customer inquiries more efficiently. The cuts reflect a broader industry trend of companies using AI to reduce headcount while maintaining or improving service capabilities.
IBM
IBM went through around 9,000 layoffs in 2025. Like Salesforce, IBM’s cuts were partly driven by AI adoption as the company looked to cut costs and streamline operations. The layoffs are part of IBM’s ongoing efforts to reshape its workforce around cloud computing and AI services while reducing expenses in legacy business areas.
Sonos
Sonos cut over 200 jobs from its workforce in February 2025 as the company’s situation continued to deteriorate. The audio equipment maker faced mounting challenges and used layoffs as one tool to address its financial pressures and operational difficulties during a tough period for the business.
Pinterest recently announced it is laying off 15% of its workforce. This is part of the company’s attempt to focus and prioritize its AI efforts. As of the end of 2024, Pinterest had 4,666 full-time employees. Slashing its workforce by 15% means that about 700 employees are expected to lose their jobs. The company wants to reallocate its resources to AI-focused roles and develop new AI-powered products and capabilities.
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