The tech sector has begun the new year with a surge of job cuts, coinciding with a significant increase in investments in artificial intelligence (AI). While the fear of AI tools replacing human jobs has been a growing concern in the tech industry, not all recent layoffs are directly related to automation.
Nevertheless, many tech companies have cited AI as a key reason for reevaluating their workforce, potentially foreshadowing further disruptions in the industry as AI continues to reshape the business landscape.
Diverse job cuts across big tech and startups
Several prominent tech companies, including Google and Amazon, have recently announced substantial layoffs affecting hundreds of employees across various divisions. These job cuts followed their separate multi-billion-dollar investments in AI startup Anthropic.
In addition, Discord, a popular social platform, disclosed a reduction of 17 percent of its staff. Unity Software, known for its technology used in popular mobile games like Pokemon Go, revealed a 25 percent workforce reduction while language-learning app Duolingo laid off approximately 10 percent of its contract workers.
According to Layoffs. fyi data, over 5,500 tech employees have lost their jobs in the first two weeks of 2024.
Ongoing labor turmoil in the tech industry
These recent job cuts come on the heels of a challenging two-year period for the tech industry. The pandemic-induced demand for digital services led to a hiring spree in tech, with skyrocketing demand for remote work, socialization, and online shopping.
However, as pandemic restrictions eased and economic uncertainties grew, the industry witnessed a significant contraction, reminiscent of the dot-com bust of 2000. In 2023 there were 262,682 layoffs in the tech sector, following 164,969 cuts in the previous year.
Roger Lee, the founder of Layoffs.fyi, noted that many tech companies are still adjusting to their overhiring during the pandemic surge. Moreover, the prolonged high-interest rate environment and tech downturn have pushed some companies to attribute their layoffs to AI’s impact on their operations.
AI as a reason for layoffs
Several companies, including Chegg, IBM, Dropbox, Duolingo, and even Google, have cited the onset of AI as a key factor influencing their staffing decisions. As AI’s full impact on the job market unfolds, researchers suggest it could potentially affect hundreds of millions of jobs globally.
However, AI also holds the potential to create new and different job opportunities. A March study by Goldman Sachs economists indicated that as many as 300 million full-time jobs worldwide could be lost or diminished due to the rise of generative AI technology, with white-collar workers particularly vulnerable.
Additionally, research suggests that businesses’ adoption of AI could disproportionately impact women’s jobs in the years ahead.
Concerns and Advocacy
As tech layoffs persist, labor advocates and lawmakers are taking notice. Workers at Google who recently lost their jobs expressed shock at learning of their layoffs via email. Parul Koul, a Google software engineer and president of the Alphabet Workers Union, criticized the layoffs as “unnecessary and counterproductive,” attributing them to corporate greed.
Koul added that the layoffs have introduced instability and anxiety into the workplace, leaving remaining employees constantly fearing losing their jobs.
In response, Google stated that the cuts were aimed at making teams more efficient and effective, and they are committed to supporting affected employees in their job search both within and outside the company.
A coalition of more than two dozen Black lawmakers, led by Democratic Representatives Emanuel Cleaver of Missouri and Barbara Lee of California, voiced concerns about the disproportionate impact of widespread tech layoffs on the African American community and women.
In a letter addressed to acting Labor Secretary Julie Su, they called on the Department of Labor to closely monitor these ongoing mass layoffs and take measures to protect workers at the greatest risk of losing their livelihoods.
