Global Tech Sector Records Over 1.63 Lakh Layoffs in 2026

In 2026, technology companies all over the world let go of a huge number of workers — more than 163,000 people.

Many of those job cuts, over 91,000 of them, are linked to artificial intelligence, or AI.

Companies are changing their plans to focus on AI, and that means some jobs are going away.

A report from a research company called TradingPlatforms counted all of these layoffs.

It found that cloud and business software companies lost the most jobs, followed by online shopping and computer services companies.

Oracle let go of the most workers of any tech company, cutting more than 25,000 jobs in several rounds.

Cisco cut 4,000 jobs and plans to spend about $1 billion on its AI plans.

Some other companies, like Monday.com and ServiceNow, are also building new AI products while trimming staff.

Interestingly, when companies announced their job cuts, their stock prices went up.

Investors see big layoffs as a sign that companies are being careful with money, as long as they come with a plan to focus on AI.