Friday, 25 April 2025
Friday, 25 April 2025
In 2025, major players like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon are once again slashing roles, shifting focus to AI, squeezing out middle management, and pushing for a leaner structure.
According to Layoffs.fyi, over 23,500 tech employees have already been laid off this year across 93 companies.
Google and Microsoft are leading the charge with yet another round of layoffs on the cards.
Google, under Alphabet, has laid off hundreds in its Platforms and Devices division—home to Android, Pixel and Chrome. The decision follows a voluntary exit program from January, part of a wider cost-cutting strategy. Earlier in February, the tech giant cut jobs in its Cloud and HR teams.
"The opportunity with AI is as big as it gets," Google CEO Sundar Pichai said on April 8.
In December 2024, CEO Sundar Pichai had announced a 10 per cent cut in management and VP-level roles - a move that signalled what lay ahead.
Microsoft is preparing for another round of layoffs as early as May. The target: middle-management. The company wants a higher ratio of engineers to non-technical staff, reported Financial Express.
This follows the 650 job cuts in Xbox in September 2024 and another 2,000 earlier this year.
Infosys has laid off more trainees at its Mysuru campus. In February, it had fired 400 after they failed evaluations three times, reported The Times of India.
IBM is cutting nearly 9,000 roles across various teams in the US - cloud, consulting, CSR, sales, CIO functions. About 10 per cent of the Cloud group has been shown the door. Many of those roles are being shifted to India, reported Outlook Business.
The layoff wave isn’t limited to the tech titans.
WordPress parent Automattic cut 16 per cent of its workforce, around 270 employees.
Canva laid off 10–12 technical writers, citing a shift to AI-generated content.
TikTok axed 300 jobs in Dublin, about 10 per cent of its Irish staff.
Ola Electric cut over 1,000 roles, its second round of downsizing in five months.
Siemens let go of 5,600 employees, targeting its automation and EV charging units.
HP removed 2,000 jobs under its “Future Now” restructure.
Blue Origin axed over 1,000 engineers. Salesforce cut another 1,000 roles, even as it continued to recruit for AI.
Meta started the year by letting go of 5 per cent of its workforce (3,600 roles), flagging them as “low performers.”
Amazon laid off dozens in its communications team.
AI is changing the shape of the workforce. Companies are trimming the fat and redirecting resources to automation and machine learning. Inflation, high interest rates and tighter tech budgets are only adding to the pressure.
Two Goodwill locations have shut down, putting nearly 100 jobs on the line.
Bombay Shaving Company CEO Shantanu Deshpande posted a blunt assessment on LinkedIn: professionals in their 40s are vulnerable. “They have children entering college, financial responsibilities toward parents, EMIs to pay — and often, not enough savings. It’s deeply concerning. The stress is real, and the pressure intense. Start upskilling in AI, save aggressively, and cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset,” he wrote. They earn more, and are often the first to go during restructuring.
Outside tech, the pharma and biotech sectors laid off over 4,000 employees in the first three months of 2025.
The gaming industry continues to bleed. Ubisoft Leamington has shut down. Eidos-Montréal is letting go of 75 employees. Microsoft Gaming, Electronic Arts, Sony, and Bungie are all on the list, according to CCN.
Tata Steel Nederland plans to slash 1,600 roles in management and support functions reported India.com.
