Oracle layoffs: Fresh layoffs at Oracle have triggered widespread discussion, not only because of the reported scale but also due to concerns raised by former employees about how the cuts were carried out. A viral LinkedIn post by a long-serving staffer has intensified speculation that the process may have been more calculated than it appeared.
Nina Lewis, who spent over three decades at the company and most recently worked as a Security Alert Manager, shared her experience in a post that quickly gained traction online. Her message resonated with many affected employees navigating the sudden job losses.
“Well, after 34 (33 of them great) years at Oracle, I join the 30,000 or so laid off today. Quite a shock. Many of the absolute best colleagues were laid off as well,” she wrote.
Questions raised over layoff patterns
What drew particular attention was her suggestion that the layoffs may have followed a pattern rather than being entirely random.
“It seems layoffs follow an algorithm of high level individual contributors and mid-level managers – especially those with outstanding stock options,” Lewis added, hinting that employees with higher compensation or equity might have been prioritised.
Her claims have been echoed by others across LinkedIn, where numerous employees—from relatively new hires to long-time professionals—have shared similar accounts while announcing their availability for new roles.
Impact across teams and employee reactions
The reported job cuts appear to have affected several divisions within Oracle, including Oracle Health, Sales, Cloud, Customer Success and NetSuite.
Kurt Frieden, who worked as a Consulting Member of Technical Staff in Cloud Commerce for nearly two decades, also confirmed his exit publicly.
“I just got laid off from Oracle today, so now is a good time to announce my retirement! It’s been a great 18 years. Please reach out if you were also part of this latest RIF,” he wrote.
Another former employee, Marc Fitten, described the experience as abrupt and emotionally taxing.
“Hi! I’ve been laid off by Oracle….along with 29,999 other people if the reports are to be believed. Who knows what’s real anymore? I can tell you it was a lot of good and smart people,” he wrote, adding that it was disappointing not to have had a proper goodbye with colleagues.
Reports suggest the timing of the layoffs caught many off guard, with employees receiving termination emails early in the morning. According to Business Insider, notifications began as early as 6 AM, informing staff that their roles had been eliminated with immediate effect as part of a broader organisational restructuring.
“As a result, today is your last working day,” the email stated, while also outlining next steps related to severance and access termination. Employees were asked to provide a personal email address to receive further communication, as access to internal systems would soon be revoked.
While the company has not officially confirmed the total number of layoffs, multiple reports and employee posts suggest the figure could be as high as 30,000. Oracle had approximately 162,000 full-time employees as of May 2025, according to its latest filings.
The developments come amid a broader trend in the tech industry, where major firms continue to reduce workforce sizes even as they ramp up investments in artificial intelligence. Companies like Amazon and Meta have also announced significant job cuts in recent times, citing cost optimisation and shifting business priorities.