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Massive job cuts in big tech – with close to 30,000 jobs on the block

November 15, 2022
Massive job cuts in big tech – with close to 30,000 jobs on the block

Tech companies are trimming staff and slowing hiring as they face higher interest rates and sluggish consumer spending in the US and a strong dollar abroad.

The tech industry shed 9,587 jobs in October, the highest monthly total since November 2020, according to Challenger, Gray and Christmas, a consulting firm that tallies job cuts announced or confirmed by companies across telecom, electronics, hardware manufacturing and software development.

In recent earnings reports, Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, and others fell short of projections, sending shares plunging and shaving hundreds of billions of dollars from their market valuations. Meta, for instance, has lost more than 67% of its value so far this year.

Here’s a list of who’s cutting jobs and pulling back on hiring.

Amazon

The e-commerce titan plans to cut about 10,000 jobs. The layoffs will likely target Amazon’s devices group, responsible for the Echo smart speakers and Alexa digital assistant, as well as the retail divisions and human resources, Bloomberg News reported.

In November, Amazon halted “new incremental” hiring across its corporate workforce.

Apple

According to people with knowledge of the matter, the iPhone maker has paused hiring for many jobs outside of research and development, an escalation of its plan to reduce budgets heading into next year.

The break generally doesn’t apply to teams working on future devices and long-term initiatives, but it affects some corporate functions and standard hardware and software engineering roles.

Chime

The digital-banking startup Chime Financial Inc. is cutting 12% of its staff or 160 people. A spokesperson said the company remains well-capitalized, and the move will position it for “sustained success.”

Dapper Labs

Dapper Labs founder and Chief Executive Officer Roham Gharegozlou said in a letter to employees that the company had laid off 22% of its staff. He cited macroeconomic conditions and operational challenges stemming from the company’s rapid growth.

Dapper Labs created the NBA Top Shot marketplace for nonfungible tokens, a digital asset class that has seen a steep drop in demand since the crypto market downturn.

Digital Currency Group

Cryptocurrency conglomerate Digital Currency Group embarked on a restructuring last month that saw about 10 employees exit the company. As part of the shake-up, Mark Murphy was promoted to president from chief operating officer.

Galaxy Digital

Galaxy Digital Holdings Ltd., the crypto financial services firm founded by billionaire Michael Novogratz, is considering eliminating as much as 20% of its workforce.

The plan may still be changed, and the final number could range from 15% to 20%, according to people familiar with the matter. Galaxy’s shares have plummeted more than 80% this year, part of a rout for cryptocurrencies.

Intel

The chipmaker said that Intel is cutting jobs and slowing spending on new plants to save $3 billion next year. The hope is to save as much as $10 billion by 2025, a plan that went over well with investors, who sent the shares up more than 10% on 28 October. Bloomberg News reported earlier that the headcount reduction could number in the thousands.

Lyft

Lyft Inc.’s cost-saving efforts include divesting its vehicle service business. It’s eliminating 13% of staff or about 683 people. The company had already said it would freeze hiring in the US until at least next year. It’s now facing even stiffer headwinds.

Meta

The Facebook parent is cutting 11,000 jobs, the first major round of layoffs in the social-media company’s history. Meta’s stock has plunged this year, and the company is trying to pare costs following several quarters of disappointing earnings and a slide in revenue. The reductions equal about 13% of the workforce, and Meta will extend its hiring freeze through the first quarter.

Opendoor

Opendoor Technologies Inc. said that it’s laying off about 550 employees — roughly 18% of its headcount. The company, which practices a data-driven spin on home-flipping called iBuying, is coping with slowing housing demand because of higher mortgage rates.

Peloton

Peloton Interactive Inc. laid off 500 employees globally, or about 12% of the workforce, in October. It was the fourth time this year the company has cut staff. Along with other expense reduction measures, Peloton said the move will help it reach the break-even point on cash flow by the end of fiscal 2023.

Qualcomm

Qualcomm said it’s frozen hiring in response to a faster-than-feared decline in demand for phones that use its chips. It now expects smartphone shipments to decline in the double-digit per cent range this year, worse than its earlier outlook.

Salesforce

Salesforce is focusing on margins as demand for its software products is slow. The company has cut hundreds of workers from sales teams as it looks to improve profitability. Since 2017, Salesforce has almost tripled its workforce.

Seagate

Seagate Technology Holdings, the biggest computer hard drive maker, said it’s paring about 3,000 jobs. Computer suppliers, including Seagate and Intel, have been hard hit by a slowdown in hardware spending. CEO Dave Mosley said that customers are sitting on a pile of extra inventory, hurting orders and weighing on Seagate’s financial performance. 

 Stripe

Payments company Stripe, one of the world’s most valuable startups, is cutting over 1,000 jobs. The 14% staff reduction will return its headcount to almost 7,000. 

Twitter

The upheaval at Twitter has more to do with its recent buyout — and the accompanying debt — than economic concerns. But the company has suffered some of the deepest cuts of its peers right now. Elon Musk, who bought Twitter for $44 billion, eliminated about 3,700 jobs by email. Musk also reversed the company’s work-from-anywhere policy, asking remaining employees to report to offices.

Upstart

Upstart Holdings, an online lending platform, said in a regulatory filing it cut 140 hourly employees “given the challenging economy and reduction in the volume of loans on our platform.”-bustech

 

 

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Last modified on Tuesday, 15 November 2022 17:58
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