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High technology industry

Big Tech Job Cuts: A Wave of Layoffs Grips the Industry

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

The IT sector has seen a sharp increase in job cuts in 2025, with several major corporations and startups announcing layoffs in recent months. Amazon, Intel, Microsoft, and Salesforce are among the companies that have fired thousands of employees, with the total number of layoffs expected to rise as the year progresses. The job cuts are part of a broader effort by companies to reduce costs and adapt to the changing economic landscape, particularly in the age of AI.

Key Takeaways:

  • Amazon plans to lay off about 14,000 corporate employees, with the total number potentially rising to 30,000, making it the largest corporate job cuts in the e-commerce giant's history.
  • Intel has announced major job cuts that have impacted over 20,000 employees, part of its restructuring efforts to make the US chipmaker more cost-disciplined and streamlined.
  • Microsoft has laid off around 6,000 employees, affecting all levels of the tech giant's business empire, including certain international offices of Microsoft-owned LinkedIn.
  • Salesforce has cut over 4,000 customer support roles, with CEO Marc Benioff stating that he needs less staff due to the impact of AI on the company's operations.
  • Applied Materials has let go of roughly 1,400 employees to streamline operations, cutting about 4% of its workforce amid tighter US export controls on semiconductors.
  • Meta has announced job cuts of around 600 employees from its Meta Superintelligence Labs (MSL) division, part of its restructuring efforts to clean up organisational bloat resulting from multiple groups working on AI-related projects.
  • Chegg has said it is slashing 45% of its workforce, blaming the rising adoption of AI tools for reducing traffic from Google to content publishers and damaging its business.

Statistics:

  • 14,000 - the number of Amazon corporate employees expected to be laid off, potentially rising to 30,000
  • 20,000 - the number of Intel employees impacted by major job cuts
  • 6,000 - the number of Microsoft employees laid off
  • 4,000 - the number of Salesforce customer support roles cut
  • 1,400 - the number of Applied Materials employees let go
  • 600 - the number of Meta employees cut from its Meta Superintelligence Labs (MSL) division
  • 45% - the reduction in Chegg's workforce

Sources:

  • IE Online Media Services Pvt. Ltd.
  • Contify.com
  • UPS
  • Amazon
  • Intel
  • Microsoft
  • Salesforce
  • Applied Materials
  • Meta
  • Chegg

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