Oracle Layoffs: Tech giant Oracle has announced one of its biggest job cuts in years. The company laid off an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 employees globally. The decision was communicated through early-morning e-mails. The cuts spanned the US, India, Canada and Latin America.
The scale of the layoffs has triggered a debate. Not just because of the numbers. But because many long-serving, high-skilled employees were affected.
Nina Lewis, a senior security professional who had spent over 33 years at Oracle, was also sacked amid the company’s AI push on April 1. “After 30+ years at Oracle, I join the 30,000 or so laid off today,” she wrote on LinkedIn. She called the move a shock. Follow Markets Live Updates
Lewis joined Oracle in the early 1990s. Over three decades, she worked across database and security platforms. In her most recent role as security alert manager, she “translated vulnerabilities into guidance for enterprise clients”. She also worked closely with engineering and security teams during active threat situations. Earlier, she served as a senior principal ethical hacker and principal security analyst.
In her post, Lewis speculated that an internal algorithm may have flagged senior individual contributors and mid-level managers. She suggested that employees with outstanding stock options could have been among those targeted.
Veterans Or Entry-Level Employees: Who’s More At Risk?
The cuts at Oracle are not an isolated event. Over the past month alone, companies including Meta, Microsoft, Disney and ASML have announced layoffs.
According to media reports, more than 20,000 jobs were cut across Meta and Microsoft combined in recent weeks. The trend spans tech, entertainment and semiconductor firms. It is not limited to loss-making companies. Even profitable firms are trimming staff.
The common thread? AI.
Companies are investing heavily in artificial intelligence. They are automating workflows. They are restructuring teams. The pitch is simple: more efficiency, lower input cost, higher margins.
When automation rises, headcount often falls. Investors tend to reward this. Layoff announcements are frequently followed by a rise in share prices. Lower wage bills signal improved profitability. That boosts investors’ sentiment.
But inside offices, anxiety is rising. Reports suggest tech workers are increasingly worried about job security. Hiring has slowed in several segments. Roles linked to routine coding, testing and operations are under pressure as AI tools become more capable.
Not just juniors, senior employees also feel the heat. In a bid to increase profitability, companies are re-evaluating if they need employees with a fat paycheck. If not, they are being replaced by a combination of AI and a younger staffer (who commands a lower salary). Meanwhile, entry-level jobs are being automated completely. This hurts fresh graduates the most as they are now competing for fewer opportunities.
According to senior software engineer Roushan Singh, “For freshers, the current market is brutal as top MNCs has almost freezed their hiring, currently hiring on a need basics.”
He adds, “Mid and senior level engineers are expected to utilise AI in their workflow to improve productivity. Therefore, hiring is limited in both service and product based companies. And higher position like managers, directors — which were earlier considered safe because of the experience they bring to the table — are also affected.”
In a similar vein, Dr Poornima Gupta, PGDM Director, Organisational Behaviour, Great Lakes Institute of Management, Gurgaon, said, “AI is eroding the bottom layer. Companies now need lesser people. At present, no college can guarantee 100 per cent placement. Therefore, several job aspirants now focus on earning some experience (even with less money) and then working on their own start-up.”
The narrative has now shifted from cost-cutting in tough times to restructuring for an AI-first future. Oracle’s move fits into that larger picture. A company investing in cloud and AI infrastructure. A workforce being reshaped. Long-serving employees exiting. Shareholders watching closely.
More tech. More automation. More profitability. And, for now, more layoffs.