Oracle led mass layoffs this week, making tens of thousands redundant while simultaneously submitting paperwork to hire foreigners on H-1B visas. Employees in various parts of the world were informed through a curt email at 6:00 am on Tuesday that their roles no longer existed. The developments have sparked outrage on social media with one user dubbing the H-1B petitions a “slap in our face.”

Data from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services accessed by the New York Post indicates the company filed for approximately 3,126 petitions to employ H-1B workers in fiscal years 2025 and 2026. Employers are required to submit these documents while hiring foreign talent for specialty occupations. At least 436 of these documents were filed during the first three months of 2026. 

Companies are expected to use the H-1B program to find foreign workers in situations where they cannot get any local candidates with comparable skills. It has come under additional scrutiny as the Donald Trump administration cracks down on immigration. 

Over 30,000 Oracle employees fired?

Oracle informed thousands of employees on Tuesday that their roles had been eliminated “as part of a broader organisational change” to align with the current business needs of the company. The cuts appear to have affected employees around the world — including employees in India and the United States. The layoffs come amid Oracle’s aggressive push to ramp up spending on artificial intelligence infrastructure to better compete with rivals, such as ⁠Alphabet and Amazon that also offer cloud services.

“After careful consideration of Oracle’s current business needs, we have made the decision to eliminate your role as part of a broader organisational change. As a result, today is your last working day,” Business Insider quoted the notification email as saying.

Impacted employees told PTI that the US-based IT firm had laid off approximately 12,000 staffers in India. Another round of layoffs is expected within a month. The figure accounts for nearly half of Oracle’s employees in the country. Oracle confirmed on Wednesday morning that its Seattle sites were not closing. The company said it would terminate 491 employees who worked remotely in Washington and at its Seattle facilities.

Social media fumes

The revelation has sparked outrage across social media platforms — with one X user likening the situation to a “twisted black comedy skit”. 

“If this doesn’t make you angry, maybe you need to read some heartfelt posts on LinkedIn from Oracle employees who are US citizens and have been laid off after working at Oracle for years,” a Team Blind user wrote.

“Anger makes sense. But don’t miss the pattern. Big organisations cut local, hire global, automate the rest. It’s cost + leverage, not morality. Cold, consistent,” added an X post.