The wave of layoffs sweeping through the technology sector shows no sign of letting up in 2025. Following a year marked by over 150,000 job cuts across nearly 550 companies, this year has already seen more than 22,000 tech workers losing their positions. February alone accounted for over 16,000 of those layoffs, highlighting the stark reality for the industry’s workforce.
Since January, numerous prominent tech companies, ranging from industry giants to emerging startups, have initiated significant workforce reductions as they grapple with financial efficiency, organizational restructuring, and shifting market dynamics.
In May, Match Group announced plans to eliminate 13% of its workforce as part of an organizational overhaul intended to boost profitability. CrowdStrike is also cutting its global team by 5%, accounting for roughly 500 individuals, describing this move as a strategic effort aimed at streamlining operations and achieving a $10 billion annual revenue target.
General Fusion, a Vancouver-based fusion energy startup backed by investors like Jeff Bezos, is facing challenges resulting in a 25% reduction in its workforce. Similarly, Israeli cybersecurity firm Deep Instinct reduced its employee count by 10%, cutting around 20 positions as it seeks operational efficiency.
Meanwhile, the British climate-focused company Beam abruptly halted operations, letting approximately 200 employees go, despite earlier plans for rapid expansion. These layoffs underscore the challenges startups face as the funding landscape tightens.
April’s layoff announcements were notably extensive. Tech giant Intel disclosed plans to cut over 21,000 jobs, roughly a fifth of its entire staff, in anticipation of Q1 financial results. Expedia reduced staff by 3%, primarily affecting its product and tech teams, following earlier cuts in its marketing division. Electronic Arts also let go between 300-400 staff, reprioritizing strategic projects and canceling some development initiatives.
Additional notable reductions included NetApp eliminating approximately 700 positions, Meta removing over 100 roles from its Reality Labs division, and GM dismissing 200 employees due to the slowdown in electric vehicle production. Microsoft is reportedly exploring another wave of layoffs, targeting non-coding roles to rebalance its workforce toward engineering.
The trend continued into earlier months of the year, affecting a diverse array of companies: Northvolt slashed 62% of its workforce following bankruptcy proceedings; Block laid off 931 employees; Siemens trimmed 5,600 roles worldwide; Wayfair, GM, HPE, Starbucks, and Google all announced significant staff reductions across varied business units.
Among notable startups, autonomous-vehicle firm Cruise laid off half its workforce after GM scaled back financial support, while fintech unicorn Zepz reduced nearly 200 positions amid consolidation efforts.
Other high-profile layoffs earlier in the year included HP planning up to 2,000 job cuts, Workday removing 1,750 employees, cybersecurity provider Sophos reducing its team by 6% following the acquisition of Secureworks, and Unity conducting another undisclosed layoff round.
Companies in newer markets were also hit hard: Nigerian Y Combinator-backed Vendease laid off 44% of its staff; Ola Electric in India eliminated over 1,000 positions; and Rec Room reduced its workforce by 16%.
Across various sectors—be it cybersecurity, fintech, automotive tech, gaming, or e-commerce—these layoffs underscore the persistent pressure on businesses facing economic uncertainty, increased operational costs, and aggressive competition. As more enterprises embrace artificial intelligence and automation to achieve operational efficiencies, this ongoing wave of job cuts serves as a stark reminder of technology’s human cost and the delicate balance between innovation and job security.
