Most Significant Layoffs in the First Half of 2026
In the technology sector alone in 2026, more than 180,000 workers have been impacted across hundreds of companies. Here are the most significant layoffs of the first half of the year.
Oracle – 25,000, March 31
Oracle made big waves in March with its cut-throat layoffs. Sending out an emotionless email, employees were informed of their terminated employment by the company.
This layoff showed that no matter the tenure, no one is safe from layoffs, as they laid off an employee of 40 years.
Amazon – 15,000, March 15
After WARN notices were posted, Amazon employees braced themselves for a big layoff in March.
The company laid off in waves, starting with Prime video employees and received more backlash when they reopened thousands of job postings a couple months later.
Meta – 11,000, March 18
Meta’s layoffs in March were known about and prepared for by many employees who were interviewing with other companies in case of the worst.
These layoffs marked the beginning of a series of AI-related layoffs at both Meta and other tech companies.
Dell – 11,000, February 27
Amid a handful of other big tech companies, Dell laid off 11,000 employees in fiscal 2026, a 10% cut in headcount.
Cisco – 4,000, April 13
On Wednesday, April 13, Cisco Systems announced cutting roughly 4,000 jobs—less than 5% of its total workforce.
Block – 4,000, February 26
In February, Block made waves with the first big lay off of 2026. The company let go of 4,000 employees, which amounted to 40% of its workforce.
Employees were especially angry due to the announcement that layoffs were due to AI, as the stock plummeted.