More than 1 lakh jobs cut across 147 companies as AI transforms the workforce: Inside Big Tech’s great reset

According to Layoffs.fyi, more than 111,173 tech employees have already lost their jobs across 147 companies this year, and the numbers continue to rise. The latest cuts came from Meta, where roughly 8,000 employees were reportedly laid off globally, and Intuit, which is cutting around 3,000 jobs as part of a larger restructuring effort.

The layoffs are now stretching across nearly every corner of the tech sector, from cloud computing and software to semiconductors, payments, telecom equipment, and social media platforms.

AI is now driving both growth and job cuts

The biggest reason companies are giving for the layoffs is AI-driven restructuring. Businesses are trying to streamline operations while reorganising teams around AI-assisted systems and automation tools.

RationalFX analyst Alan Cohen told Network World, “In 2025, automation, artificial intelligence, and sustained cost-discipline measures drove much of the downsizing, with entire departments restructured or eliminated in favor of leaner, AI-assisted workflows,” adding that “this trend has continued full steam into 2026”.

Cohen also said companies are “restructuring teams and workflows around AI-assisted systems,” meaning employees in roles that can be automated or consolidated are increasingly vulnerable.

The pandemic hiring boom is still being unwound

Another major factor behind the continued layoffs is the aggressive hiring wave that took place during the Covid-era tech boom. Between 2020 and 2022, many technology companies expanded rapidly as digital demand surged worldwide.

But as growth slowed and investors pushed for profitability, companies began reducing headcount. Reporting throughout 2026 repeatedly points to “past over-hiring” as one of the central reasons for the current wave of job cuts, especially in big tech and consumer internet companies.

The layoffs are therefore not only about weak business conditions. They are also about companies redesigning their organisational structures for a very different operating environment, one that prioritises efficiency, AI infrastructure, and leaner management structures.

Meta and Intuit have become key examples of the trend

Meta has become one of the clearest symbols of the 2026 layoff cycle. The company’s latest reported cuts of around 8,000 employees are tied to AI restructuring efforts and a push to simplify operations.

Intuit is another major example. The company plans to eliminate about 17% of its global workforce, with internal messaging reportedly framing the cuts as part of a strategy to streamline operations and focus more heavily on strategic priorities, including AI.

Meanwhile, Amazon has also linked major layoffs this year to efficiency measures and growing AI adoption. That matters because it shows AI restructuring is no longer a niche explanation used by only a few companies. It has become a mainstream corporate narrative across the industry.

Layoffs are spreading across the entire tech sector

The cuts are no longer limited to startups or struggling firms. Some of the largest technology companies in the world are now part of the same restructuring cycle.

According to Layoffs.fyi, layoffs this year include around 30,000 jobs at Amazon, roughly 30,000 at Oracle, more than 4,000 at Block, and potentially 8,750 employees affected through a voluntary exit programme at Microsoft. Other companies reporting cuts include Snap, Cisco, LinkedIn, and Coinbase.

Network World’s broader roundup also explained reductions at companies including ams OSRAM, Ericsson, ASML, Autodesk, Salesforce, Ocado, eBay, and Pinterest.

The breadth of the layoffs shows that this is not simply a startup downturn or a temporary slowdown in one part of the industry. The restructuring is happening across cloud services, enterprise software, semiconductors, telecom equipment, digital platforms, and payments.

Workers are facing growing uncertainty

For employees, the consequences are immediate. Thousands of workers are navigating severance packages, job searches, visa concerns, and uncertainty about whether their skills align with the AI-heavy roles companies are increasingly prioritising.

The layoffs have particularly affected product teams, middle management, operations, and employees attached to projects companies no longer see as core priorities. At the same time, hiring remains comparatively stronger in AI engineering, infrastructure, and platform-focused technical roles. That has created an uneven labour market inside the tech industry, where some departments are shrinking rapidly while specialised AI-related hiring continues.

Cohen also warned that the restructuring is now affecting “a range of positions, including specialized and senior roles,” suggesting that the cuts are going deeper into company structures than earlier rounds of layoffs. The message emerging from the 2026 layoff wave is that technology companies are changing how they define growth itself. For years, the industry prioritised expansion, scale, and aggressive hiring. Now the focus is shifting toward leaner operations, tighter cost controls, and AI-led productivity.