Tech Layoffs Outpace 2025 As Big Companies Shift Spending To AI

What happened

tech layoffs reached at least 94,046, up 16.8% from 80,486 in the same period of 2025. The year started off on a busy note on the layoff front.

After job cuts dropped sharply in December 2025 to 5,151, they surged in January to over 20,000. The month drove the year-to-date increase, recording 31,513 layoffs — including Meta ’s 8,000-job reduction — the highest monthly count since March 2023, when layoffs reached 36,602.

Interestingly, and unsurprisingly, many of the cuts came as tech companies redirected spending toward AI and restructured operations to reduce costs. Overall, June-August 2026 layoffs totaled 19,331, down 16.2% year over year.