As we approach the midpoint of 2025, the global tech sector continues to grapple with a sweeping wave of layoffs. Despite growing investments in artificial intelligence (AI) and automation, over 22,000 tech professionals have already been laid off this year. In February alone, that number exceeded 16,000 (source: Layoffs.fyi).
This trend follows the 150,000+ layoffs across 549 companies in 2024, indicating that the wave of restructuring is not only continuing but intensifying in new forms.
Month-by-Month Overview: Layoffs Are Accelerating
January passed relatively quietly, with just over 2,400 reported layoffs. But in February, the situation escalated sharply. Major tech companies such as HP, Autodesk, Google, and Blue Origin carried out significant cuts. Workday laid off 1,750 employees, Salesforce let go of over 1,000, and Meta dismissed 5% of its workforce based on performance reviews. Altogether, over 16,000 employees lost their jobs in February.
March saw another 8,800+ layoffs. Northvolt laid off 2,800 workers—over 60% of its staff—before declaring bankruptcy. Companies like Block, Siemens, Brightcove, HelloFresh, Otorio, and ActiveFence also reduced their workforces. Sequoia Capital closed its Washington, D.C. office entirely.
In April, the most dramatic layoffs occurred. Intel laid off more than 21,000 employees from its semiconductor and automotive divisions. Meta reduced staff in its Reality Labs division focused on VR technologies. Despite promoting the use of AI tools, Canva laid off its technical writers. Expedia, GM, and Cars24 also parted ways with hundreds of employees. In total, more than 24,000 tech workers were laid off in April, pushing the year’s cumulative number well past 50,000.
In May, Microsoft was at the center of attention, cutting 6,500 jobs—about 3% of its global workforce. Amazon laid off 100 employees from its Alexa and robotics divisions. Chegg laid off 248 employees due to declining user engagement. Match Group, CrowdStrike, and Hims & Hers also made large-scale staff reductions.
Early reports from June indicate that the trend shows no signs of stabilizing. Google laid off 25% of its smart TV team, and Intel announced a 15–20% workforce reduction in its Foundry division. Rivian, Klue, Bumble, and Airtime also announced layoffs. Microsoft followed its May cuts with additional layoffs targeting engineering, marketing, and legal departments.
Key Trends: What the Layoffs Reveal
AI Takes Priority, but People Pay the Price
The majority of layoffs are occurring in marketing, HR, product management, and legal departments—functions increasingly seen as automatable or augmentable by AI. As companies invest in AI infrastructure, they are simultaneously cutting middle management and support roles.
Exit Plans and IPOs Are Being Delayed
Companies previously seen as IPO-ready—such as Turo, Beam, and GupShup—are now forced to restructure under pressure from economic uncertainty and profit expectations.
Strategic Reorganization Is the New Normal
Startups like Klue and established firms like CrowdStrike are resizing operations to prepare for a future where growth is more costly and capital more constrained. Underperforming divisions are being shut down, and overlapping teams are being merged.
Tech Giants Are Not Exempt
Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Intel, and Meta have all carried out multiple rounds of layoffs in 2025. This sends a clear message to the broader market: profitability and efficiency now take precedence over aggressive expansion.
What’s at Stake?
Behind the headlines of innovation, investment, and valuation lies the real human cost. Each layoff represents not just a lost job, but a disrupted life, career dreams, and household stability. As companies pour resources into automation, they risk losing experienced professionals, internal culture, and ideological diversity.
Mid-career professionals are among the most affected, raising concerns about a future talent gap—especially if AI tools fail to fully replicate human reasoning and decision-making.
What Lies Ahead?
Layoffs are expected to continue throughout the rest of 2025, particularly in AI-adjacent sectors where monetization strategies remain unclear. Late-stage startups are likely to shrink to preserve runway, and public companies will intensify efforts to reduce spending and boost EBITDA under shareholder pressure.
Most importantly, this crisis forces us to reconsider the assumption that technological progress always leads to broad prosperity. While automation increases scalability, its benefits are not equally distributed. For thousands of skilled professionals in 2025, “progress” has come at a personal cost.
Prepared by Ismailova Laylo
