AI-Driven Job Cuts Accelerate Across Major Global Companies

Major global companies including Meta, Microsoft, Google, and UPS are making sweeping job cuts in 2025, citing artificial intelligence and automation as key drivers. Explore which industries and roles are most affected in this rapidly evolving workforce landscape.

As artificial intelligence reshapes the business world, leading companies are announcing significant job reductions, with thousands of white-collar roles affected in 2025. Following the news of Amazon’s proposed cuts, other industry giants are also restructuring their workforces to streamline operations and drive efficiency.

Read our original report on Amazon’s plan to slash 30,000 office jobs to understand the scale and context of these sweeping changes.

Meta, Microsoft, and Google Join the Layoff Wave

Several high-profile tech companies have followed Amazon’s lead, implementing their own substantial job cuts:

Meta: In October 2025, Meta confirmed nearly 600 layoffs in its AI division as part of a broader move to consolidate teams and prioritize cutting-edge projects. These cuts affect Superintelligence Labs and other legacy AI initiatives.
Microsoft: The company has shed more than 15,000 jobs in 2025 alone, attributing these reductions to gains in efficiency and automation made possible by new AI integrations.
Google: Layoffs at Google throughout 2025 have been tied to increased use of automation and advanced technologies as the tech giant repositions its core teams for a more AI-centric future.

Layoffs Go Beyond Tech: UPS, Target, Accenture, and Nestlé

It’s not just Big Tech making deep cuts—major employers from various sectors are also turning to AI and automation to slim their workforces:

UPS: With over 48,000 job cuts planned this year, UPS is leveraging automation to boost efficiency in logistics and delivery.
Target: Target’s removal of roughly 1,000 white-collar positions (plus hundreds of unfilled roles) is directly linked to AI-driven restructuring.
Accenture: Announced 11,000 layoffs as part of a strategic transition to more AI-based service offerings.
Nestlé: Over 16,000 jobs cut in Europe, fueled by both automation initiatives and the arrival of a new CEO seeking streamlined operations.

Key Trends in 2025: Workforce Restructuring and the “AI Effect”

Most job cuts target office employees and support functions rather than front-line workers.
Although only around 11% of companies cite AI as the direct reason for layoffs, the trend is accelerating as businesses seek cost savings after heavy investments in automation.
Post-pandemic hiring booms are being recalibrated, with new rounds of layoffs expected as AI gains traction across industries.

For more on this rapidly evolving topic, revisit the detailed breakdown of Amazon’s recent job cuts.