TechCrunch’s running tally of 2026 tech layoffs documents roughly 120,000 job cuts across the industry this year, with companies increasingly citing artificial intelligence as a driver of workforce reductions. Microsoft eliminated 4,800 roles while stating that AI is changing how work gets done, and Meta cut about 10% of its workforce while simultaneously reassigning roughly 7,000 employees into AI-focused positions. The cuts have come even as many of the companies involved report record revenues, with money redirected toward AI infrastructure investment.
