Big tech job layoffs 2025: Job cuts and hiring freezes have seemed to grab headlines almost every month of this year, but these mass layoffs show no signs of slowing at least in the IT sector. As big tech companies and large corporations come under increasing pressure to cut costs, many are laying off employees.
Companies such as Intel, Microsoft, and Salesforce have fired thousands of employees in one week of October alone. Recently, Amazon said it will lay off about 14,000 corporate employees in an effort to reduce bureaucracy as part of its multi-year plan to cut costs in the age of AI. The number could rise to 30,000 as well, according to multiple reports.
While these mass layoffs have jolted corporate America, there are signs that no one is safe right now, as most of these companies also operate large offices in countries like India and maintain a sizeable presence here.
Let’s take a look at the recent outbreak of layoffs from big tech, major corporations, startups, and others.
UPS: 48,000 employees
US-based logistics firm UPS has said it is firing over 48,000 employees as part of broader reorganisation efforts aimed at reducing delivery services for Amazon packages. The mass layoffs were reported hours after Amazon’s own announcement on Tuesday, October 28.
The shipping giant had 4,90,000 employees worldwide at the end of 2024. The layoffs are expected to impact UPS drivers as well as employees in management roles. UPS had previously said that it has deployed additional automation in 35 facilities this year.
Amazon: 14,000 employees (possibly up to 30,000)
Amazon said it will lay off about 14,000 corporate employees. However, initial reports said that the total number of layoffs could reach as high as 30,000, making it the largest corporate job cuts in the e-commerce giant’s history.
The company has over 3,50,000 corporate employees, meaning the cuts represent roughly 4 per cent of its corporate staff.
Intel: 20,000 employees
Intel has similarly announced major job cuts that are said to have impacted over 20,000 employees. The move is part of its restructuring efforts. Intel had 108,900 personnel as of December 28, 2024. The layoffs are part of new CEO Lip Bu Tan’s efforts to make the US chipmaker more cost-disciplined and streamlined in order to fix manufacturing missteps.
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Microsoft: 6,000 employees
Microsoft announced in May that it is laying off around three per cent of its workforce which translates to at least 6,000 employees. The job cuts affect all levels of the tech giant’s business empire, including certain international offices of Microsoft-owned LinkedIn. The company’s AI director Gabriela de Queiroz, was also among those who were asked to leave.
Salesforce: 4,000 employees
Salesforce has cut over 4,000 of its customer support roles, according to CEO Marc Benioff. “I’ve reduced it from 9,000 heads to about 5,000, because I need less heads,” Benioff said while discussing the impact of AI on Salesforce operations in an interview in September.
Applied Materials: 1,400 employees
Applied Materials let go of roughly 1,400 employees in October to streamline operations. The company, one of the largest US-based makers of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, cut about 4 per cent of its workforce amid tighter US export controls on semiconductors. It had 35,700 full-time staff as of October last year, according to its annual report.
Meta: 600 employees
In October, Meta announced that it is cutting roughly 600 jobs from its Meta Superintelligence Labs (MSL) division, which is the umbrella entity focused on the social media giant’s AI efforts and reportedly comprises around 3,000 employees.
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The job cuts are part of Meta’s restructuring efforts as it looks to clean up the organisational bloat resulting from multiple groups working on AI-related projects, that were spread out across the sprawling tech company. Notably, these cuts do not affect Meta’s newest hires who are part of the core team tasked with developing ‘personal superintelligence. In addition to the 600 job cuts in MSL, Meta has also reportedly laid off more than 100 employees in its risk review team.
Chegg: 388 jobs
Blaming the new realities of AI, Chegg said it is slashing 45 per cent of its workforce. In May, the online education company had laid off 22 per cent of its workforce. Chegg has said that the rising adoption of AI tools has “reduced traffic from Google to content publishers” which has damaged its business. “As a result, and reflecting the company’s continued investment in AI, Chegg is restructuring the way it operates its academic learning products,” the company said.