3 weeks ago
66% of India's AI workers expect layoffs within six months
A website called Blind asked 1,552 technology workers in India how they feel about their jobs.
The survey found that 66 in every 100 workers who build artificial intelligence, or AI, software think their teams might lose jobs soon.
Many workers fear clever computer programs will replace them.
Sales and marketing workers were even more worried, at 68 percent.
Engineers felt safest, with only 24 percent saying a layoff is very likely.
Workers at Salesforce and Oracle worried most, while workers at Indian company Zoho worried least.
India's biggest technology companies hired fewer people last year.
Some bosses say the fear is too strong: TCS CEO K Krithivasan says AI will not cause layoffs by itself, and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang calls blaming AI for job cuts 'too lazy.'
A Blind survey of 1,552 India-based professionals found that 66% of AI/ML workers expect layoffs or major headcount cuts in their teams within the next three to six months.
AI/ML ranked second in layoff fears behind Sales/Marketing (68%), with Product/Design at 65%, while 58% of engineers and 51% of data and analytics workers also anticipated cuts.
Quiet signals rather than formal announcements drive the fear: 27% cited hiring freezes and 24% budget or headcount cuts, while just 9% cited formal layoff announcements.
Only 24% of engineers called a layoff 'very likely' — the lowest of any function — while Salesforce (81%) and Oracle (80%) employees felt most at risk and Zoho (9%) the safest.
India's top IT firms — TCS, Wipro, Infosys, HCLTech and Tech Mahindra — posted a net reduction of 6,981 employees in FY26, while executives such as TCS CEO K Krithivasan and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang argue AI is not to blame for layoffs.
- Who
- India-based technology professionals surveyed by Blind, especially AI/ML workers, and executives including TCS CEO K Krithivasan, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and White House science and technology advisor Michael Kratsios.
- What
- 66% of India-based AI/ML employees expect layoffs or major headcount cuts in their teams within the next three to six months.
- Where
- India, with respondents working at global and Indian firms such as Salesforce, Oracle, Uber, PayPal, Wipro and Zoho.
- When
- The survey was conducted in July 2026 among 1,552 professionals; company headcount data covers fiscal year 2026, ending March 2026.
- Why
- Rapid advances in AI and 'quiet signals' such as hiring freezes and budget cuts drive layoff fears, while some executives argue AI is being unfairly blamed.
Workers' Perspective
Executives' Perspective
Is AI causing layoffs?
Workers' Perspective
Most surveyed employees believe their jobs are at risk because of AI, with 66% of AI/ML workers expecting layoffs or major headcount cuts within three to six months amid accelerating AI advances.
Executives' Perspective
TCS CEO K Krithivasan told the Financial Times that 'AI is not going to create lay-offs by itself,' Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang called the AI-blame narrative 'too lazy' in an interview with Channel NewsAsia, and White House science and technology advisor Michael Kratsios said executives blame AI because 'it plays better in the press.'
Do AI/ML jobs offer a safety net?
Workers' Perspective
AI/ML roles were widely treated as a safety net in an uncertain job market, but the survey shows they carry nearly as much perceived risk as sales roles, with product and design teams similarly exposed.
Executives' Perspective
Engineers feel comparatively safe — only 24% call a layoff 'very likely,' the lowest of any function — and Kratsios says he is 'very optimistic' about AI's long-term impact on jobs.
How risky are different companies?
Workers' Perspective
Employees at large enterprise software and payments firms feel highly exposed, with Salesforce (81%) and Oracle (80%) topping the list, followed by Uber (77%) and PayPal (75%).
Executives' Perspective
Employees at India's SaaS firms Zoho (9%) and Freshworks (44%) feel largely safe, showing that perceived layoff risk varies sharply by company.
Key facts
- Survey
- Blind anonymous professional community platform
- Respondents
- 1,552 India-based professionals, surveyed in July 2026
- AI/ML workers expecting layoffs or headcount cuts
- 66%
- Most at-risk functions
- Sales/Marketing 68%, AI/ML 66%, Product/Design 65%
- Engineers citing 'very likely' layoff
- 24% (lowest of any function)
- Most at-risk companies
- Salesforce 81%, Oracle 80%, Uber 77%, PayPal 75%
- Safest companies
- Zoho 9%, Freshworks 44%
- Top Indian IT firms' FY26 net headcount change
- Net reduction of 6,981 employees (Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro, Infosys, HCLTech, Tech Mahindra), per the Economic Times
Quotes
Blind survey
Anonymous community platform for professionals reporting survey results
“66% of India‑based AI/ML employees expect a layoff or major headcount cut in their team within the next three to six months.”
financialexpress.com
TCS CEO K Krithivasan
Chief Executive Officer of Tata Consultancy Services
“There will always be some segment within some small pockets within the company who will not fit in the scheme of things. AI is not going to create layoffs by itself.”
financialexpress.com
Michael Kratsios
President Donald Trump’s science and technology advisor
“I think like a lot of folks these days ... assign it or blame it to AI because it plays better in the press. I believe in the long term I’m very optimistic about the impact that AI’s going to have on jobs.”
financialexpress.com
Sources
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