Layoff News 2026: Meta Set To Join Amazon, Oracle, Others In Job Cuts As AI Commitments Rise

With just three months into 2026, several companies have already announced or are planning for job cuts amid growing push for artificial intelligence and rising capex commitments. Major companies such as Amazon and Oracle have already or are planning significant job cuts while Facebook-parent Meta is the most recent firms to join the list, impacting thousands of employees.

Tech companies have announced more than 45,000 layoffs since the start of 2026, according to an analysis by UK-based RationalFX. While companies have not directly attributed AI for reported job cuts, the latest measures come amid ongoing debate over technology replacing human workers. Large tech companies are expected to splurge more than $600 billion on AI in 2026, ​a sharp increase from $410 billion in 2025. 

"In 2025, automation, artificial intelligence, and sustained cost-discipline measures drove much of the downsizing, with entire departments restructured or eliminated in favor of leaner, AI-assisted workflows," Alan Cohen, analyst at RationalFX, wrote in the report. "This trend has continued full steam into 2026."

Here's a list of companies that have planned or announced layoffs this year -- 

Amazon: The e-commerce giant laid off 16,000 corporate employees in January as restructure operations amid growing competition with use of AI.

Oracle: The cloud computing platform is planning to cut jobs across several divisions, starting this month, according to a Bloomberg report. The development comes amid company's effort to manage costs linked to massive spending on AI infrastructure.

Atlassian Corp: Mike Cannon-Brookes led firm plans to cut 1,600 jobs or a 10th of its global workforce, Bloomberg reported. "It would be disingenuous to pretend AI doesn't change the mix of skills we need or the number of roles required in certain areas,' Cannon-Brookes was quoted as saying. "It does."

Block: The company announced it would be reducing its workforce by 40% or 4,000 employees, reconfiguring to capitalise on its use of artificial intelligence. "The core thesis is simple. Intelligence tools have changed what it means to build and run a company," Jack Dorsey, founder of Twitter, said in a letter to shareholders in Block, the parent company to online payment platforms such as Square and Cash App.

ALSO READ: Atlassian To Reduce 1,600 Jobs In The Latest AI-Linked Cuts

Nike: The athletic and footwear company cut 775 jobs in January as its aims to boost profit and adopt its use of automation, CNBC reported. 

Meta: The Instagram parent is the most recent company which is reportedly planning for another major round of layoffs as it boosts spending on AI infrastructure, according to a Reuters report citing people familiar with the matter. The expected job cuts could impact nearly 20% or more of the company's workforce, however no final decision has been made about the scale or timing of the layoffs.

Moreover, telecommunications vendor Ericsson has announced 1,900 job cuts, and enterprise software providers Autodesk and Salesforce have each cut about 1,000 jobs.

Growing adoption of AI

Several top tech executives have often praised the capabilities of AI, with some noting that in certain areas, technology can be more effective than humans. One such example being, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who aims for the company to compete more aggressively in the fast-growing generative AI sector.

In the past year, Meta has been recruiting leading AI researchers. Zuckerberg also emphasised on the productivity benefits of AI, stating earlier that projects which once required large teams can increasingly be finished by "a single very talented person."

ALSO READ: AI Push Could Trigger 20% Cut In Meta's Workforce, Biggest Since 2023, Says Report

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