Recent national employment data might be showing some stabilization in the job market, but 2026 has still been pockmarked by numerous high-profile announcements of widespread layoffs at some of the country’s largest employers.
Artificial intelligence (AI) has been one of the most commonly cited culprits as of late. According to a 2026 white paper by the World Economic Forum, globally, about 54% of business executives expect AI to displace a large number of existing jobs.
But there’s some skepticism behind the announcements. While some companies are clearly spending more on AI investment, a few experts say that some of the companies are making up for sloppy overhiring from the past couple of years—that CEOs are pointing the finger at technology instead of themselves.
And it’s not all AI, either. In some cases, mass layoffs are being tied to limping financial results, operational pivots, and mergers-and-acquisitions (M&A) events.
Today, I’m going to shine a light on some of the most noteworthy mass layoffs announced in 2026.
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10 Recent Mass Layoff Announcements
Some of the companies in this roundup have announced job cuts in the hundreds, while others are executing mass layoffs by the thousands and even tens of thousands of roles.
I’ve ordered this list by order of jobs affected, from least to most.
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10. Coinbase
- Total jobs affected: 700
In a May 5 staff letter, Coinbase Global (COIN) CEO Brian Armstrong announced 14% of its staff would be cut, citing AI as well as a volatile crypto market. That will result in about 700 jobs being removed.
However, just as noteworthy is the massive organizational change the company is pushing through. Rather than “pure managers,” the company is emphasizing “player-coaches”—employees who themselves are strong individual contributors but will also oversee other employees.
It also will try out “reduced pod sizes,” including taking some of their most AI-experienced employees and having them work as single-person teams.
Related: What Should I Do After a Layoff?
9. Nike
- Total jobs affected: 2,175
Nike (NKE) has already announced two rounds of layoffs in 2026.
The first came late January, when the athletic footwear and apparel company stated it planned to lay off 775 employees across Mississippi and Tennessee.
The second was announced in a staff memo on April 23. In it, Nike said it’s cutting about 1,400 jobs, mainly from the technology department. However, this layoff will affect not just the U.S., but other parts of North America, as well as Asia and Europe.
Related: Financial Prep If You’re Worried About Being Laid Off
8. PayPal
- Total jobs affected: 4,760
In May, financial technology giant PayPal Holdings (PYPL) announced it was going to cut roughly 20% of its workforce, or about 4,760 roles.
The move, which would take place over the next two to three years, was announced alongside a broader reorganization in the hopes of saving $1.5 billion in gross run-rate savings over that time period.
In addition to saving costs, the company also said it wanted to accelerate its adoption of AI. Indeed, in the same release, the company announced the appointment of Anshu Bhardwaj as Chief AI Transformation & Simplification Officer.
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7. Dell
- Total jobs affected: 4,760
Dell Technologies (DELL) is something of a special situation—rather than announcing large layoffs like many of the other companies on this list, it has been quietly but drastically reducing its workforce over the past few years.
A federal filing in 2026 showed the company has reduced its headcount by 27%, or 36,000 roles, since 2023. That includes 11,000 jobs (or a roughly 10% reduction) in the company’s fiscal 2026, which ended Jan. 30, 2026. It has done so through hiring freezes, return-to-work policies, and attrition.
The savings from its employees are believed to be helping to fund a massive buildout of its AI infrastructure.
Related: Tax Implications of Getting Laid Off
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6. Meta Platforms
- Total jobs affected: 8,000
Facebook and Instagram parent Meta Platforms (META) announced it would be laying off roughly 10% of its workforce, with the stated goal of offsetting “other investments we’re making,” specifically in artificial intelligence.
The cuts, which are expected to take effect in May, come as the company plans to spend between $125 billion to $145 billion, much of which is earmarked for AI. Meta is drastically shrinking its teams; in some cases, the company claims just one or two people using AI are reproducing what previously required dozens of engineers.
Morale at the company appears to be plummeting, according to a New York Times report:
“Some employees have since shared layoff guides and nihilistic memes. ‘It do not matter,’ read one meme shared internally. Employees have created at least three websites counting down to the May 20 layoffs, with one website’s header reading: ‘Big Beautiful Layoff,’ a play on the 2025 domestic policy law that President Trump called the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill.'”
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5. Estée Lauder
- Total jobs affected: 10,000
Estée Lauder Companies (EL) was already targeting around 7,000 jobs cuts heading into 2026, but in May, the beauty company announced it was expecting to slash at least an additional 3,000 jobs globally … and also raised its annual earnings forecast.
The reductions would represent more than 17% of its global workforce and comes amid the makeup company’s reported interest in a mega-deal to merge with Spanish beauty firm Puig.
Related: Should You Tap Into Retirement Savings After a Layoff?
4. Amazon
- Total jobs affected: 16,000
This January, Amazon (AMZN) announced it was eliminating 16,000 corporate jobs around the world.
That comes a mere three months after a 14,000-role round of cuts in October. The company also made smaller cuts across different parts of the organization in 2024, but it laid off more than 27,000 employees across 2022 and 2023.
This year’s cuts were chalked up to “removing bureaucracy,” but they also come alongside a push to invest even more heavily in AI.
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3. Citibank
- Total jobs affected: 20,000
In the case of Citigroup (C), the company is actually in the midst of a multi-year initiative to eliminate 20,000 roles by the end of 2026—so many of the company’s layoffs have already occurred.
But the company has made several announcements so far in 2026, and more should be expected.
Roughly 1,000 roles were shed earlier in 2026, and the company was reportedly prepping for more job cuts in March, though an official announcement never came.
CEO Jane Fraser said that as the company completes its “Transformation” program, technology and simplification will result in some roles revolving, some appearing, and “others will no longer be required.”
Figures from the company’s investor presentations suggest that the layoffs are affecting more highly paid employees than in previous rounds of cuts.
Related: Career Compensation Is More Than Salary: 10 Other Financial Perks to Consider
2. Oracle
- Total jobs affected: 20,000 to 30,000
Database and cloud firm Oracle (ORCL) delivered one of the highest-profile job cuts of the year, not via a traditional announcement, but a 6 a.m. email to affected employees that started:
“We are sharing some difficult news regarding your position.
After careful consideration of Oracle’s current business needs, we have made the decision to eliminate your role as part of a broader organizational change. As a result, today is your last working day.
We are grateful for your dedication, hard work, and the impact you have made during your time with us.”
The company didn’t make an official announcement with a concrete headcount number, but TD Cowen estimated the layoffs at about 20,000 and 30,000 positions, which would represent between 12% to 18% of its global workforce.
The announcement came just weeks after the company announced a 95% year-over-year jump in quarterly income, to $6.1 billion. It also comes amid the company’s heavy capital expenditures on artificial intelligence infrastructure.
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1. UPS
- Total jobs affected: 30,000
United Parcel Service (UPS) CEO Brian Dykes announced in January that the shipping company plans to cut its operational workforce by 30,000 jobs in 2026, following the cut of 48,000 roles in 2025.
The company is shrinking its headcount in large part because its partnership with Amazon (AMZN) is coming to an end. Dykes said the cuts will come through a combination of attrition and a second voluntary separation program for full-time drivers.
UPS also expects to close 24 buildings during the first half of the year, with the possibility of closing additional buildings later on.
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