More Tech Layoffs: 52,000 Jobs Gone in Just 3 Months (Here’s Why)

Tech layoffs are rising again… but this time, AI is sitting in the boardroom.

Recent reports indicate that tech companies are now cutting roles and becoming more cautious about hiring as automation tools are reportedly taking on a wider range of tasks. What once felt gradual now appears more visible, with job losses and quieter hiring slowdowns occurring simultaneously. 

According to Bloomberg, over 52,000 US tech employees were laid off within the first three months of 2026. A growing share of those layoffs is tied to AI adoption.

A seemingly unending wave of layoffs

Several US companies have reportedly laid off thousands of employees in batches within the past year.

On Apr. 1, Oracle laid off thousands of employees as part of its push into AI spending. A separate report from The Independent says this layoff was sent in a 6 a.m. email to up to 30,000 workers across the US, Canada, Mexico, India, and other countries, which might have looked like an April Fool’s prank to some. Except that it wasn’t.

In March alone, 18,720 tech jobs were slashed. That represents a 24% jump from March of last year, Bloomberg noted, citing research from Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. Non-tech sectors in the US are also experiencing job losses, with over 60,620 workers from non-technology companies laid off also in March.

Companies like Meta, Oracle, Amazon, and even the fintech startup Block, founded by Jack Dorsey, have announced layoffs this year and could slash more jobs, with AI often cited as the reason. In many cases, companies are simultaneously increasing investment in AI while reducing roles in other areas.

The current wave of AI-driven layoffs was not without warnings. In 2024, Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, wrote what he believed to be a total disruption to how human work is done, due to AI. In a letter to shareholders, he wrote that, “Over time, we anticipate that our use of AI has the potential to augment virtually every job, as well as impact our workforce composition.”

Sam Altman disagrees with AI narrative

OpenAI’s boss has openly disagreed with CEOs on their reasons for laying off workers.

The Independent notes that a quarter of current layoffs are attributed to AI adoption, but Altman sees things differently. He says these companies are using AI as a smokescreen to cover and justify the real motives behind the layoffs. By doing so, these companies avoid being labeled incompetent while positioning themselves as AI adopters.

Andreessen Marc, venture capitalist and co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz, has also supported Altman’s angle.

In a podcast statement cited by The Independent, Andreessen pointed out that the real reason these companies are laying off is that they are overstaffed and seeking a justifiable reason to let go of excess workers without serious backlash. 

“Essentially, every large company is overstaffed. It’s at least 25 percent overstaffed. I think most large companies are overstaffed by 50 percent. I think a lot of them are overstaffed by 75 percent. Now they all have the silver bullet excuse: Ah, it’s AI,” he said.

Emphasizing why he believes so, Andreessen further said that “AI literally until December was not actually good enough to do any of the jobs that they’re actually cutting. It just can’t have been AI.”

Where these layoffs leave everyone

With workers being asked to leave their jobs and forced to look for other roles, the future looks uncertain for many, despite many AI leaders being bullish on AI.

After predicting the disruption that advances in AI will bring to the workplace, Dimon recently indicated he’s positive about the changes AI will bring. In a recent statement, he added that AI development will allow us to live longer, cure illnesses like cancer, and have shorter workweeks.

Towing the lines used by many AI leaders, he also said in his 2024 letter that although “It may reduce certain job categories or roles, but it may create others as well.”

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