Tech AI layoffs top 39,000
- Meta told employees on April 23 it will cut about 8,000 jobs and stop hiring for 6,000 open roles as AI spending climbs. - Microsoft launched its first employee buyout program, covering up to 7% of its U.S. workforce, as Wall Street tracks AI infrastructure costs. - Meta alone expects $115 billion to $135 billion in 2026 capital spending, framing layoffs as part of a wider reset. (investor.atmeta.com)
Meta and Microsoft have turned AI spending into a headcount story, with one cutting jobs and the other offering buyouts in the same week. (cnbc.com 1) (cnbc.com 2) Meta said in a memo on April 23 that it plans to cut 10% of its workforce, or about 8,000 employees, starting May 20. The company also said it will not fill 6,000 open roles. (cnbc.com) (bloomberg.com) Microsoft, meanwhile, began its first voluntary buyout program in the company’s 51-year history. CNBC reported the offer could reach up to 7% of Microsoft’s U.S. workforce, focused on employees whose age plus years of service equal 70 or more. (cnbc.com) (money.usnews.com) The cuts are landing as both companies pour cash into data centers, chips and cloud capacity needed to run large AI systems. Meta told investors in January it expects 2026 capital expenditures of $115 billion to $135 billion, up from $72.22 billion in 2025. (investor.atmeta.com) (nasdaq.com) Microsoft has not yet reported its fiscal third-quarter results, but its investor page lists the earnings call for April 29, 2026. In its fiscal first quarter, the company said capital expenditures reached $34.9 billion, driven by demand for cloud and AI offerings. (microsoft.com 1) (microsoft.com 2) A separate analysis cited by multiple outlets says AI-linked tech layoffs have passed 39,000 globally in 2026. That estimate, attributed to TradingPlatforms, put the figure at about 39,088 and said it was nearly half of all tech layoffs recorded so far this year. (enterpriseitworld.com) (betanews.com) Those tallies are not the same as confirmed company disclosures, and they mix direct layoffs with restructuring tied to automation. Even so, they line up with a broader pattern in 2026: general tech roles are being cut while companies keep spending on AI infrastructure and specialized engineering. (cnbc.com) (fastcompany.com) The immediate test is whether investors reward the tradeoff. Meta and Microsoft both report earnings on April 29, and Wall Street is watching whether heavier AI spending can justify leaner payrolls. (microsoft.com) (investor.atmeta.com)
