Tech Giants Slash Tens Of Thousands Of Roles, Point To AI As Cause

Big employers including Salesforce and Amazon have announced fresh rounds of job cuts this year, saying automation and new AI-driven tools have reduced the need for some positions.

Several major technology firms have trimmed workforces in recent months, citing efficiency gains from artificial intelligence as a direct factor. The moves have affected roles in customer support, product and marketing, and teams built around AI projects, leaving thousands of workers displaced and prompting questions about the pace of automation in white-collar jobs.

At Salesforce, the company eliminated more than 1,000 positions across marketing, product management, analytics and its Agentforce unit, according to company statements. Executives described how the deployment of the Agentforce system has lowered the volume of support requests, leading managers not to refill certain support-engineer vacancies. That followed an earlier reduction of roughly 4,000 support roles, cutting that part of the business from about 9,000 employees to near 5,000.

Amazon disclosed plans on Jan. 28 to remove about 16,000 corporate jobs, after cutting some 14,000 roles in October. Company leaders framed the action as a reorganization to flatten management and accelerate decision-making, and had previously signaled that broader use of generative AI and automated agents would change job requirements and likely shrink some corporate head counts—roughly 1 in 11 positions were affected over a three-month span.

Labor experts say these announcements reflect a wider shift as firms chase productivity improvements. A workforce economist contacted for this report noted companies are weighing short-term savings against potential long-term costs, including workforce morale and the expense of retraining. She added that policy makers may start scrutinizing how automation changes employment stability.

For affected employees, the near-term outlook varies; some companies are offering severance and limited reskilling programs, while others are moving quickly to redeploy remaining staff. Observers say transparency about transition plans and investments in training will shape how disruptive this period proves.