The US tech industry is in turmoil, with over 53,000 jobs lost in just the first five months of 2025. Tech giants like Microsoft, Meta, CrowdStrike, and Block have all slashed roles, citing reasons ranging from AI-driven restructuring to cost-cutting and federal downsizing. According to data from layoff tracker layoffs.fyi, the tech and government sectors have been hit hardest.
Microsoft, despite reporting strong sales and profits, recently announced plans to lay off nearly 6,000 employees—around 3% of its global workforce. This marks one of its largest layoffs since early 2023, and the timing has drawn sharp criticism online.
In particular, CEO Satya Nadella has come under fire, with many on tech forums and social media accusing him of fostering a “layoff culture” at the company. A post on the anonymous workplace platform TeamBlind went viral after claiming, “Satya in his 10 years of tenure at Microsoft has laid off 50,000 people. He started with the worst layoffs of 18K people in 2014. He did it again in 2018, 2023, 2024, and now 2025. Till he is in Microsoft, this cycle will continue.”
“Bring back Steve Ballmer”
The post sparked a fierce online debate. While some users called for a return to Steve Ballmer’s leadership era, others defended Nadella, pointing to the company’s surging stock price. “Stock went up 11x compared to flat under Ballmer,” one user noted. Another added, “So what do you want? Free money and no work? Become a CEO first.”
Netizens, however, pointed to continued stack ranking practices and alleged favoritism, with one user writing, “Indian hiring Indians is not the poison you should pick.” Another responded sarcastically, “Fine, bring back Steve Ballmer. Nothing like a decade of no growth and losing in the first round of the NBA playoffs.”
Others defended Nadella’s track record, citing massive hiring in India. “200,000 jobs created for Golte in HYD office,” one user noted. Another asked, “How many did he hire? What’s the percentage of US-based employees now vs. 10 years ago?”
Meanwhile, Microsoft isn’t alone in the industry-wide bloodbath. Intel reportedly plans to slash up to 20% of its workforce, just months after cutting 15,000 jobs—though the company has denied the exact numbers, stating layoffs would be staggered through the year. Swedish battery maker Northvolt laid off half its workforce (2,800 employees) in March, just weeks after filing for bankruptcy. And Meta, under Mark Zuckerberg, has already laid off 4,000 employees since the start of 2025.