Would it be easier to just call the ex employees instead of looking for new talents?

It seems like half of my friends have been laid off from their roles as senior software developers or IT managers. When I ask them about it, they all say that work didn't seem any slower than before. The company I work at can't keep up with demand and is hiring like crazy. Why are so many tech companies doing mass layoffs? It doesn't seem like their profits are decreasing.

Major technology companies have eliminated more than 180,000 positions in 2025, marking one of the most significant workforce reductions in the industry's history as companies pivot toward artificial intelligence and automation. The cuts, which have accelerated through November, are affecting roles from middle management to customer support across Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Intel, and other tech giants.

The layoffs represent a shift from traditional cost-cutting to a fundamental restructuring of how tech companies operate. In November alone, Verizon announced plans to cut more than 13,000 employees, while HP disclosed it may eliminate between 4,000 and 6,000 jobs by 2028. Apple trimmed sales positions managing business, education, and government accounts, and Amazon cut approximately 14,000 corporate workers in October, including more than 1,800 engineers.

This doesn't mean AI will take over jobs, I just means AI will more jobs that require physical human interaction in fields like agriculture, plumbing, welding, waste collection etc which will be a goldmine.

from what I’m seeing on blind, it seems like there’s gonna be an aggressive round in q1.

the big profitable company I work for is raising their annual layoff quota by 2x what it normally is.

Amazon is also doing their big round too, they typically are a leader in layoff practice so other companies will do the same.

be prepared everyone. I think 2026 is going to be one of the worst years yet for layoffs.

After speaking with friends at Microsoft, Meta, and Amazon across London, Bangalore, and Seattle, here are the hard truths about the current job market:

1. Job security in Big Tech is a thing of the past. The days when working for top tech companies meant long-term stability are over.

2. AI is reshaping the workforce. Automation and AI-driven tools are boosting efficiency across organizations, making several roles redundant.

3. Mid-career professionals face the biggest challenge. People in their late 30s and early 40s are at a crossroads, too senior for entry-level jobs but not yet in executive roles, leaving them particularly vulnerable.

4. The layoffs have just begun. Companies are not only letting people go but also permanently eliminating roles, with no plans to rehire.

5. Amazon’s workforce reductions are more aggressive. While the company used to trim around around 7-8% of employees annually due to performance reviews, that number has now surged into double digits.

6. Companies are prioritizing cost-cutting over compassion. Layoffs are being carried out with ruthless efficiency, with little regard for employee well-being.

7. India's job market is relatively more stable. While global tech hubs like London, the Bay Area, and Dubai are seeing severe slowdowns, India’s employment landscape remains slightly more resilient.

Feel free to add if you find something new.

For a long time I do not see any person online that says the work in FAANG+Microsoft is very little. So there is work to do, then there is a need of people to do it, and AI is not helping enough.

I sincerely believe the economic uncertainty is the one to cause these situations since tech is very high off the luxury ladder. Like you will always need somebody to build a house but if you are in warfare AI assisted vscode forks can wait, and this might put some stress on the companies. And again, because if they will state this their stock prices will be nuked, they are just saying that "AI" is the cause, that they are doing automation so good they don't need workers!..

While the reason is simply we might not be in a really good time for a thing like consumer tech to shine and see a bright future ahead of it.

Saving you a click - it is Synopsys

Hey all, was scanning a tech statistics site today and saw an absolutely startling statistic:
"So far in 2025, there have been 317 layoffs at tech companies with 75,463 people impacted.
In 2024, there were 1,115 layoffs with over 230,000 people impacted."

That's a lot of people, ranging from companies like Dell and Intel to Meta and Microsoft. So, despite this incredibly horrid news - very sorry for those affected - I wanted to give back to the community and drop a few good sources for those seeking tech jobs.

These resources are really helpful - I essentially take a big list of niche job boards separated by technology, so that you actually hear back from recruiters. LinkedIn is tough for the job search because either their posts are

• outdated
• spammed
• irrelevant.

Here is a list of niche job boards to help you talented engineers and computer scientists:

• Python.org/jobs - Apparently, there is a job board just for Python jobs, which was shocking to see as I never expected an open-source community to list jobs. I would overall rate this an A-, great resource, but I have never gotten an interview from this list.

• HappyTechies.com - This one focuses exclusively on Microsoft technology jobs, so if you worked in Azure, for example, you'd want to find a role at a company that uses this technology and needs an experienced professional. Overall, a great resource.

• Reactjobsboard.com - This one isn't community-driven and seems to just be a wrapper around a bigger database.

• datajobs.com - Whenever websites look like this, you can expect a lot higher-quality engagement and resources. This is great for jobs in data science from smaller companies.

• levels.fyi - I want to put this here, not because you can land jobs from it, but because you can see what salaries should look like depending on your role, company, location, and experience. Super valuable - bookmark this :)

Let me know if this list helped you at all! Any questions about these, please let me know :)

I'm curious, watching from the sidelines (former and future big tech worker) how your views of your former employer changed as a result of 'belt tightening' or higher 'performance' bars.

Has the experience of being laid off caused you to revise your perception of the time you spent there or were your feelings reinforced?

When factoring out compensation, do you look back on your tenure fondly?

If offered similar comp outside of big tech, would you still want to go back to a mag-7 company?

How will the experience impact your job search going forward?

EMIs won't stop whether you're getting salary credits or not, think twice before paying whatever the builder or owner is asking for his flat.

AI is already doing tremendously great work for Software Engineers, it generates all the code for you(and it's gonna get better and better), no need to hire thousands of engineers and pay them high. Dark days are onto us, buckle your seatbelts. If you haven't used GPT-5 equivalent models for your coding, don't bother commenting here and telling AI can't do much and this is just fear-mongering, you're just outdated. More tech companies are in-line to announce layoffs soon.

https://www.reuters.com/business/world-at-work/amazon-targets-many-30000-corporate-job-cuts-sources-say-2025-10-27/

Just like the title says... with all of these layoffs, if you are looking for a job now, they are 20K-30K LESS than the same companies were offering 1-3 years ago.

Jun 24, 2025

"Over the past eighteen months, more than 170,000 U.S. tech workers lost their jobs, with layoffs rising 35% in early 2025. Programming roles shrank by 27% between 2022 and 2024, while average tech salaries dropped over 12%.

Many displaced workers moved to smaller tech firms, finance, consulting, healthcare, or logistics, while others pursued freelancing, entrepreneurship, or public sector roles, especially cybersecurity. Reskilling in AI and advanced tech skills has surged.

However, entry-level hiring declined sharply, creating a divide between established professionals and newcomers. This situation demands stronger reskilling, hiring incentives, and labor mobility support across industries."