Google let go of hundreds of employees in its global business unit earlier this week, continuing the broader trend of layoffs by technology companies going as far as 2023. Companies—including Google, Meta, Microsoft and Apple—have been streamlining their workforces amid increased focus and expenditure on artificial intelligence (AI) development.
According to layoff tracker Trueup, there have been 284 layoffs at tech companies in 2025 so far, affecting 53,399 employees. Last year, nearly 2.4 lakh tech employees were laid off in 1,115 job cuts in the tech industry.
Tech layoffs in 2025
Google
In its latest round of job cuts, Google has laid off 200 employees from its global business unit, responsible for sales and partnerships, The Information reported. The search major told Reuters that it was making small changes across the teams to drive collaboration and better serve its customers.
In April, Google had axed hundreds of employees from its Platforms & Devices unit, which handles Android, Pixel and Chrome operations. It had offered a voluntary exit option to its US employees in the same unit at the beginning of 2025 following the merger of Android and Pixel divisions.
In February, Google had fired employees from its cloud division to focus on areas "critical to our business and ensure our long-term success."
In January 2023, Google-parent Alphabet had said it would reduce its global workforce by 6%, affecting 12,000 employees. According to a February filing, the company had 183,323 employees as of December 2024.
Microsoft
In January, Microsoft laid off an unspecified number of employees based on their performance. The company had also sacked some employees in divisions including gaming and sales, according to reports.
The Windows OS maker is planning another round of layoffs in May focussed on middle management roles to streamline its organisational structure, according to a Business Insider report.
The tech major, which recently pipped Apple to become the most valuable listed company in the US, intends to increase its proportion of engineers relative to non-technical staff across project teams. For example, in Microsoft’s security division led by Charlie Bell, the goal is to shift the engineer-to-project manager ratio from 5.5:1 to 10:1.
The tech giant recently mandated that it would not rehire ousted employees for two years, calling recent job cuts "good attrition".
Meta
Facebook and Instagram parent Meta had announced reformed performance assessment in January earlier this year, leading to job cuts in February that saw 3,600 employees, or 5% of the workforce, laid off. Staff working on Facebook, Horizon virtual reality (VR) platform and logistics were hit the hardest.
However, the Mark Zuckerberg-led social media giant faced criticism for awarding substantial bonuses to its top executives just a week later. Critics accused the firm of prioritising executive pay over regular employees’ livelihoods.
In April, Meta sacked employees in its acquired entities Oculus Studios and Supernatural VR fitness app.
Apple
In a rare move, Apple laid off 100 employees from its digital services arm in August 2024, with the team working for Apple Books and Apple Bookstore being hit the hardest. Some engineers and staff working on Apple News were also impacted.
According to layoff tracker Trueup, there have been 284 layoffs at tech companies in 2025 so far, affecting 53,399 employees. Last year, nearly 2.4 lakh tech employees were laid off in 1,115 job cuts in the tech industry.
Tech layoffs in 2025
In its latest round of job cuts, Google has laid off 200 employees from its global business unit, responsible for sales and partnerships, The Information reported. The search major told Reuters that it was making small changes across the teams to drive collaboration and better serve its customers.
In April, Google had axed hundreds of employees from its Platforms & Devices unit, which handles Android, Pixel and Chrome operations. It had offered a voluntary exit option to its US employees in the same unit at the beginning of 2025 following the merger of Android and Pixel divisions.
In February, Google had fired employees from its cloud division to focus on areas "critical to our business and ensure our long-term success."
In January 2023, Google-parent Alphabet had said it would reduce its global workforce by 6%, affecting 12,000 employees. According to a February filing, the company had 183,323 employees as of December 2024.
Microsoft
In January, Microsoft laid off an unspecified number of employees based on their performance. The company had also sacked some employees in divisions including gaming and sales, according to reports.
The Windows OS maker is planning another round of layoffs in May focussed on middle management roles to streamline its organisational structure, according to a Business Insider report.
The tech major, which recently pipped Apple to become the most valuable listed company in the US, intends to increase its proportion of engineers relative to non-technical staff across project teams. For example, in Microsoft’s security division led by Charlie Bell, the goal is to shift the engineer-to-project manager ratio from 5.5:1 to 10:1.
The tech giant recently mandated that it would not rehire ousted employees for two years, calling recent job cuts "good attrition".
Meta
Facebook and Instagram parent Meta had announced reformed performance assessment in January earlier this year, leading to job cuts in February that saw 3,600 employees, or 5% of the workforce, laid off. Staff working on Facebook, Horizon virtual reality (VR) platform and logistics were hit the hardest.
However, the Mark Zuckerberg-led social media giant faced criticism for awarding substantial bonuses to its top executives just a week later. Critics accused the firm of prioritising executive pay over regular employees’ livelihoods.
In April, Meta sacked employees in its acquired entities Oculus Studios and Supernatural VR fitness app.
Apple
In a rare move, Apple laid off 100 employees from its digital services arm in August 2024, with the team working for Apple Books and Apple Bookstore being hit the hardest. Some engineers and staff working on Apple News were also impacted.
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