July 6 (Reuters) – Microsoft said on Monday it is cutting about 2.1% of its workforce, or roughly 4,800 jobs, as the Windows maker restructures parts of its commercial and Xbox businesses, joining other tech giants in a wave of layoffs as companies shift investment toward AI infrastructure.
The cuts highlight deepening concern among investors and economists that AI adoption will upend established industries, with job losses already emerging in sectors most exposed to automation.
In a memo to employees, Chief People Officer Amy Coleman said AI was changing how work gets done by automating some routine tasks, but that the layoffs were part of a broader effort to realign resources and operating structures with the company’s priorities.
Below is a table of AI-linked global layoffs announced since October 2025, from biggest to smallest. Entries with no specified number are placed at the bottom.
COMPANY MONTH JOB NOTES
ANNOUNCED CUTS
HSBC Holdings March 20,000, Weighs
or deep job
about cuts as
10% of AI
workfor overhaul
ce unfolds
Amazon January 16,000 Corporate
job cuts;
AI‑ and
efficienc
y‑driven
overhaul
Standard May >7,000 Cuts over
Chartered 4 years;
AI-driven
operation
al
streamlin
ing,
profitabi
lity
optimisat
ion
HP Inc November 4,000-6 Global
,000 cuts by
end-2028;
AI and
operation
al
streamlin
ing
British June 5,500 Plans to
American jobs, cut about
Tobacco shift 20% of
(BAT) 3,500 its
roles workforce
to over
third AI-driven
parties overhaul
to lower
costs,
lift
profits
Mizuho February Up to Cuts over
5,000 10 years;
long-term
AI‑driven
streamlin
ing plan
Microsoft July 4,800, Impact on
or 2.1% commercia
of l, Xbox
workfor businesse
ce s
Dow January 4,500 13% of
workforce
;
automatio
n and AI
streamlin
ing
Block February >4,000 Nearly
half its
workforce
;
AI‑focuse
d
restructu
ring
Cisco May <4,000 Less than
5% of its
workforce
; expects
pre-tax
charges
of up to
$1
billion
Intuit May ~3,000, Operation
or al
about streamlin
17% of ing,
workfor increased
ce focus on
AI
efforts
SEB February Up to Cuts by
2,100 end-2027;
restructu
ring to
leverage
AI
Wisetech February 2,000 One-third
of global
workforce
; AI
integrati
on
Allianz November Up to Travel
1,800 insurance
division;
AI
replacing
manual
work
Atlassian March 1,600, Push into
or AI and
around enterpris
10% of e sales
workfor
ce
Proximus February 1,200 Cuts by
2030; AI
efficienc
y
measures
Cloudflare May >1,100 Cuts due
to AI
adoption
Meta, Reality January >1,000 Pivot
Labs from
Metaverse
to AI
devices
Snap April ~1,000 Cuts to
ramp up
AI
adoption;
streamlin
e
operation
s
Autodesk January ~1,000 7% of
workforce
; shift
towards
cloud and
AI
Nike January 775 Profit
push and
automatio
n
Telstra February 650 AI‑driven
restructu
ring with
Infosys
Meta, October ~600 Downsizin
Superintellig g in AI
ence Labs division
Freshworks May ~500 Cuts due
to work
automatio
n and AI
adoption
Danske Bank February 420 Cuts due
to
automatio
n and
efficienc
ies
Meta March Up to Workforce
20% of could
workfor shrink by
ce 20% amid
AI focus;
to invest
$600
billion
for data
centres
by 2028
Pinterest January Up to Redirecti
15% of ng
workfor resources
ce toward AI
strategy
Agora December Up to Nearly 7%
166 of
workforce
; digital
restructu
ring
MercadoLibre January 119 AI‑expans
ion move
British February Not AI‑driven
American specifi productiv
Tobacco ed ity
programme
(Reporting by Romolo Tosiani, Enrico Sciacovelli and Philippe Leroy Beaulieu in Gdansk, Additional reporting by Anshuman Tripathy; Editing by Matt Scuffham, Milla Nissi-Prussak, Jonathan Ananda, Devika Syamnath and Shilpi Majumdar)
