Oracle layoffs: thousands reportedly lose jobs amid push for AI-driven efficiency

Tech giant Oracle has carried out what employees describe as significant job cuts, with reports of thousands of roles being eliminated as the company expands its use of artificial intelligence.

According to the BBC, senior staff took to LinkedIn to confirm the layoffs on Tuesday.

Michael Shepherd, a senior manager at Oracle, said “senior engineers, architects, operations leaders, program managers, and technical specialists” were among those affected.

He stressed that the cuts were not performance-related: “The individuals affected were not let go because of anything they did or didn't do.”

One employee told the BBC that around 10,000 staff may have been impacted, citing a drop in activity on the company’s internal Slack system.

The cuts come as Oracle invests heavily in AI. Earlier this month, co-chief executive Mike Silicia said: “The use of AI coding tools inside Oracle is enabling smaller engineering teams to deliver more complete solutions to our customers more quickly.”

The company has committed tens of billions of dollars to AI infrastructure and partnerships, including work with OpenAI.

Several former employees said they received early morning emails informing them their roles had been eliminated, with some offered one month of severance pay.