The wave of tech industry layoffs has continued unabated throughout the first half of 2025, signaling ongoing uncertainty and strategic realignments as companies adjust to evolving market conditions. Following a year when over 150,000 employees lost their jobs across 549 tech companies, the current year—2025—has already witnessed over 22,000 layoffs, with a particularly dramatic peak in February, when more than 16,000 employees were let go.
In June alone, several prominent tech companies have scaled back their workforces. Rivian, the electric vehicle manufacturer, cut approximately 140 positions, roughly 1% of its workforce, mainly impacting its manufacturing teams ahead of a product launch. Online dating platform Bumble announced the elimination of around 240 jobs—or 30% of its total staff—as part of a cost-saving initiative, projected to reduce annual expenses by $40 million and fund future product investments.
Klue, a Vancouver-based business-intelligence startup leveraging artificial intelligence, reduced staff by 40%, laying off approximately 85 employees due to pressures both internal and external, notably in the rapidly competitive AI software market.
Google restructured its Smart TV division, eliminating 25% of roles in the 300-member team, in tandem with a 10% budget reduction for the division. Nevertheless, the company confirmed it will be reallocating resources toward AI-focused projects. Similarly, Intel plans significant headcount reductions of up to 20% within its Intel Foundry division, starting in July 2025. Intel Foundry manufactures semiconductors for external customers, and the layoffs are part of a broader shift in the company’s strategic direction, including winding down its automotive business.
Gaming company Playtika reduced its workforce by approximately 90 people, affecting employees in Israel and Poland, following an earlier smaller round of layoffs just weeks prior. Airtime, a video startup founded by former Evernote CEO Phil Libin, reduced its headcount nearly by half, letting go of around 25 out of about 58 team members.
Microsoft also conducted another round of layoffs, just weeks after announcing a significant reduction of more than 6,500 positions, approximately 3% of its global workforce. These recent cuts impacted roles in engineering, product management, technical program management, marketing, and legal teams.
In May, notable downsizing continued across the sector. Telehealth startup Hims & Hers laid off 68 employees (4% of staff), unrelated to recent regulatory changes affecting production of certain medications. Amazon shed around 100 positions in its device division, adding up to cumulative cuts exceeding 27,000 jobs since early 2022. Microsoft, confirming the challenging trend, announced even larger layoffs planned for more than 6,500 global employees to streamline operations.
Educational technology company Chegg, amid industry shifts driven by AI tools, laid off 248 employees (about 22% of its staff), citing efficiency concerns. Match Group initiated a 13% workforce reduction to consolidate its organization and shore up margins. Cybersecurity provider Crowdstrike also downsized by around 500 individuals, reflecting a strategic refocus on profitability and efficiency.
General Fusion, pursuing next-generation fusion energy, cut a quarter of its workforce due to strained financial conditions despite previous significant investments. Similarly, cybersecurity startup Deep Instinct eliminated 10% of roles as part of ongoing budget control measures. Beam, a UK climate-focused tech startup, ceased operations outright, trimming nearly 200 positions.
April saw further major layoffs: NetApp restructured, affecting 700 employees, while gaming publisher Electronic Arts shed hundreds of roles as it refocused strategic priorities. Expedia downsized by 3% across mid-level product and technology teams, adding to recent earlier layoffs. Cars24, India’s prominent used-car marketplace backed by SoftBank, reduced its staff by around 200 as it restructured its technical teams.
Meta downsized its Reality Labs division by over 100 employees in an effort to streamline product development in VR headsets and wearable tech. Intel earlier in spring intended to eliminate 21,000 jobs, representing 20% of its global workforce, under newly appointed CEO Lip-Bu Tan’s strategic plans. Other companies including General Motors, Turo, Gupshup, Forto, Wicresoft, Five9, Google, Microsoft, Automattic, and Canva all implemented layoffs in April totaling thousands of employees worldwide.
The first quarter of 2025 featured high-profile downsizing from companies such as Northvolt, which laid off 62% of its employees after filing bankruptcy; fintech firm Block, laying off 8% of its workforce; and Brightcove, recently acquired by Bending Spoons, cutting around two-thirds of its U.S. headcount. Acxiom, Sequoia Capital, Siemens, HelloFresh, and ActiveFence also reported significant workforce reductions.
NASA itself felt the pinch, discontinuing several departments, including its DEI office and its Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy, as mandated by its administrator’s wider organizational reforms.
The layoffs earlier in the year reached broadly across prominent firms, including HP, Grubhub, Autodesk, Nautilus, Starbucks, Zendesk, Okta, Sophos, Salesforce, Blue Origin, Unity, and many others.
This ongoing trend highlights the shifting landscape within the tech industry, where companies remain under pressure to evolve rapidly with new technological developments and shifting economic realities, often at the cost of substantial human capital.
