Technology companies cut almost 110,000 jobs by mid-May 2026, close to the roughly 125,000 eliminated in all of 2025, according to Layoffs.fyi figures reported by CNBC. Yahoo Tech tracked ten of the largest cutters — from Oracle to Visa — and found that AI explains only some of the decisions.

"Now the world understands that jobs are being replaced by machines, and if you're not doing that, shareholders are getting upset," Umesh Ramakrishnan, chief strategy officer at executive search firm Kingsley Gate, told CNBC. Karan Girotra, a professor at Cornell University's business school, told the Associated Press that nobody can yet quantify how much of the cutting AI accounts for.

What is driving each company's cuts?

Oracle shed 21,000 people over the past year, nearly 13% of its staff, per Yahoo Tech and CNBC. Oracle's annual filing attributes the reductions to AI adoption; Yahoo Tech ties them to data center spending, after free cash flow of negative $23.7 billion last fiscal year. Oracle spent $1.8 billion on restructuring and warned the cuts "may also lead to shortages of sufficiently skilled employees" and damage to morale. Thousands more notices followed in March and September.

Microsoft offered buyouts to about 60,000 employees in October, roughly 27% of its workforce, after 4,800 July layoffs. Chief People Officer Amy Coleman framed the offer as "creating greater flexibility and, where possible, more ways for employees to shape their next chapter." Microsoft forecast capital spending above $50 billion for the September quarter; free cash flow fell 23% year over year, though it stayed positive — unlike Alphabet or Amazon in the same quarter. Departures occur Dec. 31, so the final number remains unknown.

Meta laid off about 8,000 employees, some 10% of its workforce, in May, and scrapped 6,000 unfilled roles. A company memo said the cuts would "offset the other investments we're making," with spending of up to $145 billion planned for 2026. Further layoffs were expected in August and fall. Employee culture ratings on Blind fell 39%, and Leo Boussioux of the University of Washington's Foster School of Business blamed managers, not AI itself, for the morale damage.

Amazon cut over 30,000 jobs since CEO Andy Jassy signaled his AI push, including 16,000 corporate employees announced early in 2026. About 250 people in the devices and services unit lost jobs in October, and stores-division layoffs reached the U.S., India and the U.K. Even the artificial general intelligence team lost an unstated number of roles in July. "We're sharpening our focus on the initiatives that matter most for customers," an Amazon spokesperson told CNBC.

Uber cut 3,300 jobs, about 10% of staff, in September, targeting a 20% reduction in staff seven or more levels below the CEO. CEO Dara Khosrowshahi cited "more layers, more coordination, more fragmented ownership." He did not name AI as a reason; Uber has committed more than $10 billion to robotaxi partnerships, per Transport Topics.

Apple laid off more than 200 people in August, split roughly evenly between the Vision Pro headset group and the Siri and software teams. Incoming CEO John Ternus reportedly put the headset on hold, and Apple is now focusing on smart glasses, 9to5Mac reports.

Epic Games is eliminating more than 1,000 positions as players spend less time in Fortnite. CEO Tim Sweeney ruled out AI: "We're spending significantly more than we're making, and we have to make major cuts to keep the company funded." Epic seeks over $500 million in additional savings, after cutting about 830 jobs in September 2023.

Disney announced 1,000 layoffs in April, two months into CEO Josh D'Amaro's tenure, mostly in marketing. Managers face cost cuts of up to 20%, and a September round hit HR and technology, with thousands more reportedly planned for November. "This is one of several actions we're taking to reshape our organization... and will continue into next year," Chief People Officer Sonia Coleman wrote.

PayPal, under new CEO Enrique Lores since March 1, 2026, plans to eliminate nearly 4,800 jobs over coming years, about 20% of its workforce, per the Wall Street Journal. "First, we will remove duplication and layers from our organizational structure. Second, we will accelerate our AI adoption," Lores said.

Visa is cutting about 2,600 jobs, roughly 7% of its roughly 34,100-person payroll, despite a strengthening business. CEO Ryan McInerney said "AI is also helping to accelerate this evolution," while the company concentrates on affluent customers, business payments and stablecoins.