In a startling trend that began last year and has accelerated in 2023, the tech industry is grappling with a significant wave of layoffs, impacting both major players and smaller startups. According to data from Layoffs.fyi, over 240,000 jobs have been lost this year alone, marking a 50% increase compared to the previous year.
The first half of 2023 witnessed substantial layoffs by industry giants such as Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Yahoo, Meta, and Zoom. While there was a temporary slowdown in the summer and fall, recent developments suggest that the industry is once again witnessing a surge in workforce reductions.
Economists caution against presuming an imminent recession, but the slow rebound of the tech sector has prompted companies to prioritize efficiency over growth in response to persistent market challenges.
Understanding the scope of these layoffs is crucial not only for assessing their impact on innovation but also for identifying companies under pressure and potential opportunities for those still experiencing growth. It also serves as a stark reminder of the human toll of mass layoffs and how the risk landscape in the industry may evolve.
Here is a detailed breakdown of tech layoffs for each month in 2023:
January 2023:
- 89,554 employees laid off
February 2023:
- 40,021 employees laid off
March 2023:
- 37,823 employees laid off
April 2023:
- 20,014 employees laid off
May 2023:
- 14,928 employees laid off
June 2023:
- 10,958 employees laid off
July 2023:
- 10,589 employees laid off
August 2023:
- 9,545 employees laid off
September 2023:
- 4,632 employees laid off
October 2023:
- 7,331 employees laid off
Data visualization by Miranda Halpern, created with Flourish.
November 2023:
- Pico: Cutting a “few hundred” roles, halting expansion.
- Twitch: Laid off 400 employees.
- Amazon: Announced substantial layoffs affecting 9,000 people.
- Livespace: Laid off at least 100 employees (2% of the workforce).
- Course Hero: Cut 15% of staff, impacting 42 people.
- Klaviyo: Laid off 140 staff members.
- Microsoft: Laid off 559 workers as part of a broader reduction of 10,000 employees.
- Meta: Confirmed cutting 10,000 people from its workforce.
- Y Combinator: Impacted 20% of staff (17 team members).
- Salesforce: Announced layoffs as part of the 10% reduction.
- Atlassian: Laid off about 500 employees (5% of total workforce).
- SiriusXM: Cut 475 employees (8% of total workforce).
- Alerzo: Laid off 15% of full-time workforce, around 800 employees.
- Cerebral: Letting go of 15% of its workforce (approximately 285 employees).
- Waymo: Issued a second round of layoffs, totaling 8% of its workforce.
February 2023:
- Twitter: Laid off over 200 employees.
- Poshmark: Confirmed less than 2% of its workforce affected.
- Green Labs: Conducting layoffs impacting at least 50% of its workforce.
- Chipper Cash: Conducted a second round of layoffs, relieving almost one-third of its workforce.
- Evernote: Confirmed laying off 129 people.
- Jumia: Cut 20% of its staff (over 900 positions).
- Convoy: Shuttered its Atlanta office, laying off workers as part of restructuring.
- Sprinklr: Impacted 4% of its global workforce (more than 100 employees).
- iRobot: Laid off 7% of its workforce (around 85 employees).
- Twilio: Impacted around 17% of its global workforce (about 1,400 people).
- GitHub: Announced a 10% reduction in staff.
- Yahoo: Cut 20% of its staff (1,600 employees).
- GitLab: Reduced headcount by 7% (around 114 people).
- Affirm: Reduced staff by 19% (about 500 employees), shutting down its crypto unit.
- Zoom: Announced the cut of 15% of its staff (1,300 people).
- VinFast: Announced layoffs, exact numbers unspecified.
- Dell: Impacted 5% of its worldwide workforce (6,650 people).
- Getaround: Cut 10% of staff (about 42 employees).
- Pinterest: Announced 150 employees impacted.
- Rivian: Cut 6% of its workforce for the second time in less than a year.
January 2023:
- SoFi Technologies: Cut 65 jobs (5% of its workforce).
- NetApp: Impacted 8% of its staff (about 960 people).
- Groupon: Announced layoffs spreading across the first two quarters of 2023 (500 employees).
- Impossible Foods: Reportedly affecting 20% of its staff (over 100 employees).
- PayPal: Announced the cut of 2,000 full-time employees (7% of its workforce).
- Arrival: Slashed 50% of its workforce (800 employees globally).
- Waymo: Quietly laid off workers on January 24, exact numbers unclear.
- Spotify: Impacted around 6% of its global workforce (around 600 employees).
- Alphabet: Laid off 6% of its global workforce (12,000 employees).
- Fandom: Announced layoffs impacting roughly 10% of its staff (around 50 employees).
- Swiggy: Announced plans to lay off 380 jobs.
- Sophos: Cut 10% of its global workforce (about 450 people).
- Microsoft: Impacted 10,000 employees.
- GoMechanic: Laid off 70% of its workforce.
- Clearco: Impacted 30% of staff across all teams.
- ShareChat: Laid off 20% of its workforce (over 400 employees).
- SmartNews: Announced a 40% reduction of its U.S. and China workforce (around 120 people).
- Intrinsic: Laid off 40 employees (around 20% of the headcount).
- Greenlight: Laid off 104 employees (over 21% of its total headcount).
- Career Karma: Laid off 22 people across its global and domestic workforce.
- DirectTV: Planned to lay off about 10% of its management staff.
- Informatica: Laid off 7% of its workforce (450 staffers globally).
- Carta: Cut 10% of its staff (around 200 employees).
- Citizen: Impacted 33 staff members.
- Coinbase: Cut 950 jobs (about 20% of its workforce).
- SuperRare: Cut 30% of its staff.
- Amazon: Eliminated more than 18,000 roles, extending a previously announced round of layoffs.
- Salesforce: Cut 10% of its workforce (more than 7,000 employees).
- Vimeo: Cut 11% of its workforce.
As the tech industry grapples with these challenges, the numbers provide a comprehensive overview of the scale and scope of the layoffs, shedding light on the evolving landscape of the sector. The data will be continuously updated to capture the latest developments in this ongoing trend. If you have information on additional layoffs, feel free to contact us. Your anonymity will be respected.
