TechCrunch summarized that layoffs in the science and technology industry continued in 2026, and that more and more companies were writing about AI in their layoffs. According to the article, while maintaining income growth while reducing staff size, AI was described as a growth tool and used to explain job cuts.
According to data from the Job Placement Agency Challenger, Gray & Christmas, May 2026 was the single month of most scientific and technical layoffs in recent years, and AI was the most frequently mentioned reason. Layoffs.fyi statistics show that in 2026, the cumulative number of staff reductions in the science and technology industry was close to 120,000.
Multiple companies synchronized lay-offs while expanding AI
Oracle disclosed later in June that the total number of employees in the past 12 months had decreased by approximately 21 million, or about 13 per cent. In its annual regulatory document, the company states that the introduction and deployment of AI technology in the company ' s operations has led to and is likely to continue to result in downsizing.
Gitlab was retrenched at the beginning of June about 350, or about 14 per cent of the total number of employees. According to the company, this was related to the growth in the flow of AI infrastructure inputs and AI workflow. GitLab also indicated that it would exit 22 national markets, compress management levels and rebuild core infrastructure.
Google, for its part, does not publish a single number of CEOs. TechCrunch states that Google continues to promote staff restructuring in sectors such as cloud operations, including threat intelligence and network security teams related to Mandiant. External estimates suggest that the number of engineers reduced in Google in 2026 could range from 1,500 to more than 3000.
Meta, Cisco and IBM restructuring of posts
Meta reduced its staff in late May by about 800, or about 10 per cent of the total number of employees, while transferring about 7000 employees to new AI-related positions. Company management stated that the adjustments were related to AI competitive pressures.
Cisco announced in May a reduction of nearly 4000 jobs, about 5% of the total number of employees. Corporate executives stated that the round was not simply a cost-saving exercise, but rather a reallocation of resources to chips, optical, safety and AI.
IBM's layoffs run through 2026. The report cites external estimates that from the fourth quarter of 2025 to April 2026, IBM ' s job cuts in the United States may range from 300 to 9000. At the same time, IBM is increasing recruitment for AI and mixed cloud-related posts.
Coinbase also included AI in the reason for reorganization.
In the encryption industry, Coinbase indicated on 5 May that approximately 700 employees would be cut, about 14 per cent of the total. According to the company, the restructuring was intended to respond to market fluctuations and improve AI efficiency.
Coinbase also compresses the organizational level, downgrading management under CEOs and COOs to five levels, and proposes a “one-person team” to test a combination of engineering, design and product roles. The management of the company stated that AI had significantly changed the pace of development and that it was through AI that engineers could complete work that had previously required several weeks of teamwork in a shorter period of time.
In addition to Coinbase, Intuit, Cloudflare, Snap, Atlassian and Microsoft have to varying degrees included AI, organizational simplification or reallocation of resources in the context of downsizing. Some companies maintain income growth while downsizing, showing that AI inputs are changing the working structure and budget allocation of science and technology enterprises.