StartupTalky

Tag: Layoffs

  • Warner Bros Discovery to Lay Off 10% of Film Staff Amid Global Restructuring

    According to various media reports, Warner Bros. Discovery plans to fire roughly 10% of its Motion Picture Group employees, causing a significant upheaval as the business gets ready to divide into two distinct companies.

    Marketing and Production Teams Hit by Layoffs

    Marketing, distribution, production, and other operational divisions are among the areas that would be affected by the job reduction. The layoffs are a major step in a larger restructuring exercise, even though the exact number of impacted employees is still unknown.

    Motion Picture Group Co-Chairs Pamela Abdy and Michael De Luca reportedly wrote to employees in a memo indicating business leadership had started examining the group’s activities earlier this year.

    Company Split into Two Publicly Traded Entities

    The decision to switch from the current U.S. Home Office/International model to a truly global structure was the result of the internal evaluation. According to the document, as the firm moves towards a more global framework, these adjustments are required to revolutionise its business. Warner Bros.

    Discovery recently declared that it will divide into two publicly traded companies: Discovery Global, which will compete with cable networks like CNN, TNT, and the streaming service Discovery+, and Warner Bros., which will keep the Warner Bros. name and house the film group and the HBO Max streaming platform.

    Box Office Performance & 2025 Film Recovery

    Joker: Folie à Deux and Furiosa were among the box office failures that plagued Warner Bros.’ film division in 2024. But 2025 has witnessed a comeback, thanks to recent blockbusters like Superman, Sinners, and A Minecraft Movie.

    Tech and Media Layoffs Continue in 2025

    With big companies like Google, Microsoft, and others continuing to reduce their workforces, layoffs in the tech sector are not expected to halt in 2025.

    Companies are still cutting employees in an effort to simplify operations, save money, and emphasise automation and artificial intelligence, even though these figures are much lower than the major layoffs that occurred between 2022 and 2023.

    Layoffs.fyi, a website that tracks layoffs in the industry, reports that 93 organisations have laid off nearly 23,500 tech workers so far this year, and the number is still growing.

    Industry-Wide Trend: AI Reshaping the Workforce

    Google and Microsoft are apparently contemplating a new round of layoffs, according to the most recent job reduction reports. According to reports, AI-led restructuring and performance-based terminations are part of the corporations’ goals to increase the effectiveness of their personnel.

    Similarly, Disney laid off about 200 workers, or nearly 6% of the workforce, from its ABC News Group and Disney Entertainment Networks divisions in March 2025.

    According to a media report, the Walt Disney Company restructured in October 2024, closing ABC Signature and combining its operations into 20th Television. It also merged the scripted drama and comedy teams from ABC and Hulu Originals.

  • Karnataka Labour Dept Summons TCS Over Alleged Forced Resignations

    According to sources, the Labour Department sent a notice to the company after the Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union (KITU) filed an industrial dispute case, following a controversy surrounding a layoff announcement and alleged forced resignations at IT major Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).

    Conciliatory Meeting Scheduled for August 6

    A conciliatory conference between KITU representatives and TCS management, with Labour Department officials present, is scheduled for August 6, according to several media outlets. TCS declared on July 27 that 2% of its employees worldwide would be let go.

    This would represent over 12,000 workers. The company’s new “Bench Policy,” which caps an employee’s time on the bench at 35 hours per year, has also sparked allegations of coerced resignations. Employees complain that they have too little time to locate appropriate tasks and that this places the burden of project finding on them.

    Inside TCS’s Controversial New Bench Policy

    In response to these events, union representatives met with officials from the Labour Department on July 29 and filed a case against TCS for illegal mass retrenchment. They demanded that the management be prosecuted for violating the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, and the Karnataka government’s requirements regarding the reporting of service particulars.

    The Industrial Disputes Act mandates that businesses with more than 100 employees must first get government approval before implementing any layoffs or retrenchments. Such layoffs are only allowed for certain purposes and under circumstances that are spelt out in detail in the Act.

    According to the union, TCS workers who were allegedly being pressured to quit by management filed many complaints. A media outlet interviewed a mid-level TCS employee who said that hundreds of workers from the company’s Bengaluru branch had been pushed to quit over the previous two weeks.

    TCS Responds: ‘Building a Future-Ready Workforce’

    TCS said it is working to become a future-ready company in response to questions from the media. This covers a number of strategic goals, such as investing in new technology, breaking into new markets, implementing AI on a large scale for both TCS and its clients, strengthening its alliances, developing next-generation infrastructure, and reorienting our workforce model.

    Numerous reskilling and redeployment programs have been in progress in order to achieve this. TCS will also be letting go of associates from the company whose deployment might not be possible as part of this journey.

    Over the course of the year, this will affect roughly 2% of the company’s staff worldwide, mostly in the middle and senior grades. To make sure that its clients’ service delivery is unaffected, this transition is being carefully handled.

    TCS is aware that its coworkers who may be impacted are going through a difficult moment. It expressed gratitude for their service and promised to do everything in its power to offer suitable benefits, outplacement, counselling, and assistance as they move on to new opportunities.

  • AI Startup Krutrim Lays Off 100+ Employees as Bhavish Aggarwal Restructures Workforce

    The Economic Times recently reported that in a second round of layoffs, Krutrim, the artificial intelligence startup started by Bhavish Aggarwal of Ola, had let go of around 100 workers. A significant portion of the firm’s linguistics staff, which had just recently arrived, was impacted by the layoffs.

    The decision was made only a few weeks after more than a dozen positions were eliminated in Krutrim’s initial wave of layoffs in June. The ET further reported that the most recent layoffs were a result of a “strategic realignment” and an effort to create leaner teams in order to better manage resources. The existing round of layoffs started soon after Kruti, the company’s AI helper, was introduced in June.

    Why the Linguistics Team Was Hit Hard?

    The report went on to say that the company no longer requires as many employees as they once did because nearly 80% of the training has already been completed for the AI helper Kruti. This implies that as the product approaches completion in its early stage, the company’s requirement for linguistics personnel has decreased.

    Strategic Realignment: The Real Reason Behind the Cuts

    Prior to this, Krutrim had declared significant efforts to develop its AI capabilities. When Bhavish Aggarwal established Krutrim AI Labs earlier this year, he committed INR 2,000 crore to AI development, with ambitions to double that amount to INR 10,000 crore the following year. In 2024, the business became a unicorn after raising $50 million from venture capital firm Z47 Partners.

    Tech Layoffs in 2025 Globally

    Particularly at a time when many software companies worldwide are cutting budgets and shrinking staff, the layoffs are perceived as a change in emphasis from team expansion to effective capital use.

    Even though artificial intelligence is still one of the most talked-about development sectors, many startups and big businesses are having trouble controlling costs while attempting to grow rapidly.In 2025 alone, the tech industry’s current wave of layoffs has resulted in over 100,000 job losses worldwide.

    As they prioritise AI integration and adjust to shifting market conditions, major companies like IBM, Intel, and Microsoft continue to reduce their workforces.

    AI’s Growing Role in Workforce Reductions

    Microsoft, for example, just announced 9,100 layoffs that will impact its Xbox and gaming operations, among other departments. These layoffs serve as a reminder of the continuous difficulties businesses have in the quickly changing tech sector.

    Additionally, IBM has been laying off some 8,000 workers, primarily from its human resources division. This comes after an internal shift towards automation, where jobs that were formerly handled by human staff are progressively being replaced by AI systems.

    This change demonstrates how AI is increasingly affecting employment positions and the strategic realignments that tech businesses are undergoing. AI integration is changing the nature of work and the skills needed in the tech sector.

  • TCS Layoffs Confirmed: 12,000+ Jobs Affected in Major Restructuring

    Tata Consultancy Services, the biggest provider of IT services in India, announced on 27 July that it will cut 2% of its personnel in its 2026 fiscal year, mostly affecting middle and senior management.

    About 12,200 positions will be lost as a result of the company’s retraining and redeploying of employees as it enters new markets, makes investments in new technologies, and uses AI. According to a statement from TCS, the action is a component of the company’s larger plan to become a “future-ready organisation” that emphasises personnel restructuring, market expansion, AI deployment, and technological expenditures.

    The business also stated that this change is being carefully planned to guarantee that our clients’ service delivery won’t be impacted.

    Why Is TCS Laying Off Employees?

    India’s $283 billion IT industry has had to deal with customers delaying non-essential technology purchases due to low demand, ongoing inflation, and lingering trade policy uncertainties from the United States. K. Krithivasan, the CEO of TCS, stated this month that customer decision-making and project start times were delayed. As of June 30, 2025, TCS employed 613,069 people. In the most recent quarter, which ended in April and June, it added 5,000 new staff.

    TCS Financials Amid Layoffs: Q1 2025 Results

    On July 10, TCS announced that its net profit for the June quarter had increased by 6% to INR 12,760 crore. In the same period last year, the Tata group company reported a net profit of INR 12,040 crore. The company’s sales decreased 3% when considering constant currency, although it increased 1.3% to INR 63,437 crore from INR 62,613 crore in the same time last year. According to a corporate statement, its operating profit margin increased by 0.30% on a quarterly basis to 24.5% during the April–June period.

    TCS Responds to Onboarding Delay Concerns

    The largest IT services provider in India, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), has stated that it is still dedicated to onboarding all experts who have been offered positions, despite several reports that experienced hires in various cities have been facing extended delays in their joining dates. TCS can confirm that, as usual, TCS is committed to honouring all offers we have made, whether they are to experienced professionals or freshmen, according to the company’s statement provided to People Matters.

    The company will onboard all of the people who have gotten an offer from TCS. The joining dates are chosen based on company need, and occasionally they are modified to accommodate our demands. In these situations, TCS stays in constant communication with each candidate and hopes they will soon join our team.

    The clarification comes as professionals who claim to have resigned from their prior positions to join TCS, citing official offer letters and specific start dates, are becoming increasingly concerned. Many of these professionals were hired for lateral positions in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune, Kolkata, Mumbai, and Delhi. Their experience ranged from two to eighteen years.   

  • Lenovo Trims US Workforce by 3% as Part of Cost-Cutting Drive

    According to Lenovo, a Chinese computer manufacturer with its headquarters in Morrisville, the corporation is cutting off 3% of its American employees.

    Like other businesses, Lenovo routinely reviews its cost structure to correspond with external market conditions and make personnel modifications as needed, according to a statement released on July 16 by spokesman David Hamilton.

    At the moment, the company is strategically cutting back on certain aspects of its North American operations.

    According to Hamilton, 3% of the company’s US employees will be impacted by the layoffs. The location of the cuts would not be specified by him. The company’s US headquarters are located in Morrisville, and it has eight locations across the country.

    Triangle Office to Take a Massive Hit

    As of 2023, Wake County Economic Development estimates that the corporation employed 5,100 people in the Triangle. About 20 years ago, Lenovo shifted its operations to the Triangle. In 2005, it acquired IBM’s personal computer division and moved its US headquarters to the Triangle.

    It is one of the largest employers in the Triangle. The company’s 2024–25 fiscal year saw a 21% growth in revenue to $69.1 billion due to high demand for its PCs, smartphones, and tablets.

    According to Hamilton, the business will “keep investing and concentrating on projects that accelerate the company’s growth and overall transformation.” The business has made significant investments in R&D. The last fiscal year saw a 13% increase in R&D spending to $2.3 billion.

    More than 1,00,000 Job Cuts in Tech Sector in 2025

    In 2025 alone, the tech industry’s current wave of layoffs has resulted in over 100,000 job losses worldwide. As they prioritise AI integration and adjust to shifting market conditions, major companies like IBM, Intel, and Microsoft continue to reduce their workforces.

    Microsoft, for example, just announced 9,100 layoffs that will impact its Xbox and gaming operations, among other departments. These layoffs serve as a reminder of the continuous difficulties businesses have in the quickly changing tech sector.

    Additionally, IBM has been laying off some 8,000 workers, primarily from its human resources division. This comes after an internal shift towards automation, where jobs that were formerly handled by human staff are progressively being replaced by AI systems.

    This change demonstrates how AI is increasingly affecting employment positions and the strategic realignments that tech businesses are undergoing. AI integration is changing the nature of work and the skills needed in the tech sector.

  • TCS Under Fire: IT Union Slams Bench Policy as ‘Coercive’ and ‘Punishing’

    Thousands of benched employees are facing uncertainty as the first 35-day cycle under Tata Consultancy Services’ (TCS) new bench policy comes to a conclusion on July 17. Many of them are expressing their anxiety on social media.

    After the policy went into effect on June 12, employees run the possibility of having their careers hampered or even terminated if they spend more than 35 days a year in a bench period, or time without any project allocation.

    Employees at TCS frequently post on online sites like Reddit to voice their concerns. Some workers claim they are being pushed into projects that don’t fit their skill sets, while others have been rushing for projects. According to several Reddit threads, some people are being turned down for client interviews, while others are having trouble finding work in their hometowns.

    Job Uncertainty Looming on TCS’ Employees

    There is also no indication of how many people will be affected. An average of 15–18% of workers in top Indian IT companies are often on the bench, according to industry estimates. The largest IT business in India, TCS, employs over 613,000 people.

    On 16 July, an employee welfare organisation called on Union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya to act immediately against TCS for the implemented bench policy, which it described as “inhumane,” “exploitative,” and psychologically upsetting for IT workers.

    The Nascent Information Technology Employees Senate (NITES) accused the IT behemoth of repeatedly threatening to fire bench staff and deny them experience letters if they don’t achieve irrational deployment deadlines in a letter to the minister.

    In the letter, NITES President Harpreet Singh Saluja stated that these are skilled experts who are momentarily without allocation, not underperforming workers. They encounter mistrust, compulsion, and threats in place of assistance.

    Some Employees Calling TCS’s Move a Positive Stroke

    Some workers, however, are in favour of TCS’ decision, claiming that a number of workers have been on the bench for years, turning down projects that were presented to them. While some of them used the opportunity to pursue more education and overall performed poorly at work.

    According to a Reddit user, this may help TCS trim some seriously underperforming resources, those stuck on TCS like a leech. It has always been expected that associates take responsibility for their careers, TCS CEO and managing director K. Krithivasan told a media outlet in support of the new bench policy.

    The organisation expects employees to actively look for new tasks after finishing current ones, even if HR promotes project placement. This is just a better organised form of what has been done for a long time. The company wants to cut down on bench time. The business makes significant investments in upskilling, he said.

    According to him, higher authorities make sure associates are deployed after the corporation makes that investment. Although preferences are taken into account, customer needs—not individual preferences—are what drive projects. Individuals are deployed by the organisation in accordance with training, demand, and skill alignment.

  • Intel to Slash 4,000 Jobs by Mid-July in Major Restructuring Push

    As part of a company-wide restructuring spearheaded by new CEO Lip-Bu Tan, Intel Corporation has announced a new round of layoffs that will impact 2,400 more employees, bringing the total number of job cuts to almost 4,000 nationwide.

    Almost 2,400 jobs will be lost in Oregon alone, making this one of the biggest tech layoffs in Oregon’s history. The cuts will be implemented by mid-July and will affect several US states, including California, Arizona, and Texas.

    Intel, a major R&D centre with more than 20,000 employees in Oregon, will lay off more than 1,500 workers at its Ronler Acres complex in Hillsboro. The action highlights the company’s changing priorities and budgetary limitations in the face of the semiconductor industry’s rapid transformation.

    Intel-Oregon’s Tech Pillar

    Intel has long been a mainstay of Oregon’s tech economy and the state’s largest employer in the private sector. The average annual pay for semiconductor employment in the state is $180,000, which is far more than the state median.

    It is anticipated that the layoffs will have an effect on consumer spending and state tax receipts throughout the Oregon economy. CEO Lip-Bu stated that Intel was truly in the lead twenty or thirty years ago. According to reports, earlier this week, Tan informed staff, “Now… we are not in the top 10 semiconductor companies,” highlighting the need for a restructuring.

    It has taken years for Intel to start declining. It has lost its position as the undisputed leader in the global semiconductor business to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), which now provides cutting-edge processors to firms like Apple and Nvidia.

    Intel Failed to Capture AI Chip Market

    Additionally, Nvidia, which produces the GPUs that power the majority of massive AI models and data centres, has surpassed Intel in the market for AI chips. Tan acknowledged that Intel must now shift its focus to related AI and edge computing technologies since it is “too late” to lead in AI training chips.

    A significant restructuring of Intel’s core business is indicated by the company’s decision to leave the automotive chip business, outsource its marketing to Accenture, and reduce employment in the Foundry Division by 20%. Known for his experience in semiconductors and venture finance, including his work with Cadence Design Systems, Lip-Bu Tan assumed the role of CEO earlier this year.

    His strategy mainly focusses on optimising processes and bringing Intel back to profitability through technological alliances and cost reductions. Intel continues to collect about $260 million in tax benefits from Oregon each year while restructuring is going on; this could come under scrutiny if future expansion plans are postponed or abandoned completely.

  • Hiring Giants Lay Off 1,300: Glassdoor and Indeed Trim Workforce

    According to multiple media sources, Recruit Holdings, the Japanese parent company of Indeed and Glassdoor, plans to lay off about 1,300 employees. This accounts for approximately 6% of the workforce in the HR technology segment of the organisation.

    The layoffs, which are mostly in the US, impact a number of departments across many nations and functions, including growth, people and sustainability teams, and research and development. Although Recruit did not specifically explain the reasoning behind these cuts, it is consistent with CEO Hisayuki “Deko” Idekoba’s remarks, which highlighted the revolutionary potential of AI.

    According to him, AI is transforming the world, and the company needs to adjust by making sure its product offers employers and job seekers genuinely amazing experiences.

    This change is similar to a pattern observed in other significant IT firms, such as Microsoft and Meta, which have also announced layoffs in order to prioritise AI efforts in the face of economic difficulties.

    Major Structural Overhauling in Recruit Holdings

    According to reports, Recruit Holdings will incorporate Glassdoor’s activities into Indeed as part of this organisational reorganisation. Christian Sutherland-Wong, the CEO of Glassdoor, will leave the company as a result of this integration on October 1.

    Furthermore, Ayano Senaha, the COO of Recruit, will take over as Indeed’s chief people and sustainability officer when LaFawn Davis steps down on September 1. In 2012, Recruit started working with Indeed, and in 2018, it acquired Glassdoor.

    These adjustments are a component of a larger initiative to streamline operations and concentrate on key business domains. This scenario fits into a larger pattern in the tech sector, where many businesses will lay off employees in 2025 as they deal with economic challenges and AI-driven restructuring.

    Notably, major layoffs have also been reported by other companies, including Automattic and TikTok. Even as they cut staff in other departments, businesses are putting more and more emphasis on AI positions. This change emphasises how crucial AI is becoming to determining the nature of work in the future.

    More than 1,00,000 Job Cuts in Tech Sector in 2025

    In 2025 alone, the tech industry’s current wave of layoffs has resulted in over 100,000 job losses worldwide. As they prioritise AI integration and adjust to shifting market conditions, major companies like IBM, Intel, and Microsoft continue to reduce their workforces.

    Microsoft, for example, just announced 9,100 layoffs that will impact its Xbox and gaming operations, among other departments. These layoffs serve as a reminder of the continuous difficulties businesses have in the quickly changing tech sector.

    Additionally, IBM has been laying off some 8,000 workers, primarily from its human resources division. This comes after an internal shift towards automation, where jobs that were formerly handled by human staff are progressively being replaced by AI systems.

    This change demonstrates how AI is increasingly affecting employment positions and the strategic realignments that tech businesses are undergoing. AI integration is changing the nature of work and the skills needed in the tech sector.

  • Microsoft Slashes 9,000 Jobs in Major Restructuring Shake-Up

    According to reports, Microsoft is laying off 4% of its employees worldwide. The tech giant said on July 2, that it was letting go of almost 9,000 workers from several departments.

    Professionals of all experience levels are apparently preparing for the impact of these layoffs, which are occurring across countries. This time, Microsoft disclosed the development on the second day of the month, even though it typically announces structural changes at the end of the new fiscal year.

    Microsoft stated that it will keep implementing organisational changes that are required to best position the firm and teams for success in a dynamic environment, according to a media report that quoted a Microsoft spokesperson.

    The software powerhouse has been making layoff announcements one after the other this year; in January, it said it intended to fire 1% of its employees depending on their performance.

    Microsoft Constantly Following Layoff Practice

    The software company laid off more than 6,000 employees in May and another 300 in June. In a similar vein, the business let go of 10,000 workers in 2023. In light of its recent round of significant layoffs, the 50-year-old software titan is actively working to lower its workforce.

    This is reportedly the company’s second-largest mass layoff, following the approximately 18,000 jobs it eliminated in 2014. Although no specific causes have been mentioned, it is thought that one of the possible causes could be the fastest-growing market this year: coding assistants.

    Google just released its own version, and although Microsoft has not yet revealed plans to release a comparable product, it is apparently altering internal processes to make use of these capabilities.

    These coding assistants, to put it simply, indicate that businesses are embracing automation and AI-driven productivity in the software development process.

    Focusing more AI Driven Solutions

    Companies like Google and Microsoft are now investing the most in AI research and development. They are essentially seeing a quick evolution in their developer positions.

    As AI technologies start to replace some of the more traditional activities, this restructure is expected to have an impact on the majority of these programmers.

    The layoffs coincide with Meta’s aggressive procurement of expertise; it has reportedly spent $3 billion, a significant acquisition in and of itself, to acquire the best AI experts.

    Even at the expense of reorganising their current resources and associated expenses, the majority of large tech businesses appear to be striving to draw in the best AI expertise. For the March quarter, Microsoft recorded a net income of around $26 billion on revenue of $70 billion.

    According to data gathered by FactSet, Microsoft remained one of the most profitable businesses in the S&P 500 index, with the results significantly above the consensus on Wall Street.

    Due to anticipated growth in Azure cloud services and corporate productivity software subscriptions, executives predicted a 14% year-over-year revenue increase in the June quarter.

  • Intel Hits the Brakes on Auto Unit, Plans Massive Job Cuts

    According to various media reports, chipmaker Intel is closing its automotive branch and terminating the majority of its workforce. In the communication, the corporation stated that it intends to shut down its automotive Intel architecture division.

    It further stated that although it will complete current obligations to clients, “the majority” of the employees in that company will be let go.

    Intel clarified in a written statement to a media house that, in order to best serve its customers, the company is once again concentrating on its core client and data centre technologies.

    Intel has made the decision to shut down its automotive division under its client computing segment as part of this effort. The company is trying to make sure that its clients have a seamless transition.

    Intel Already Made Heavy Investment in Automotive Semiconductors

    Over the years, Intel has made significant investments in automotive semiconductors. More than 50 million automobiles have utilised Intel’s processors in infotainment systems, instrument clusters, and other automotive applications.

    The business unveiled AI-enabled chips in 2024 with the goal of improving voice assistants and in-car navigation. Additionally, it revealed ambitions to introduce its Arc GPU into automobiles.

    Intel currently seems to be leaving the market despite these changes. The change is a component of CEO Lip-Bu Tan’s larger restructuring initiatives, which are intended to reduce expenses and streamline operations.

    Layoff a Common Feature of Intel

    The automotive unit’s closure comes as Intel announced more widespread layoffs. The company’s Santa Clara headquarters will lay off 107 workers, according to a recent WARN warning it issued in California.

    According to an Intel representative who spoke to a media outlet, Intel will be able to improve customer service and execution by simplifying its organisation and giving its engineers more authority.

    There will likely be further layoffs in Intel’s foundry group. Tan informed staff in April that in order to increase operational efficiency, Intel would need to “reduce the size” of its workforce by the second quarter of 2025. With additional cost reductions scheduled for 2026, the chipmaker is aiming to save $500 million this year.

    Year 2025 Marked as Year of Layoffs

    With big companies like Google, Microsoft, and others continuing to reduce their workforces, layoffs in the tech sector are not expected to halt in 2025.

    Companies are still cutting employees in an effort to simplify operations, save money, and emphasise automation and artificial intelligence, even though these figures are much lower than the major layoffs that occurred between 2022 and 2023.

    Layoffs.fyi, a website that tracks layoffs in the industry, reports that 93 organisations have laid off nearly 23,500 tech workers so far this year, and the number is still growing. Google and Microsoft are apparently contemplating a new round of layoffs, according to the most recent job reduction reports.

    According to reports, AI-led restructuring and performance-based terminations are part of the corporations’ goals to increase the effectiveness of their personnel.