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2026 tech layoffs reach 45,000 in March

technode.global

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Re: 2026 tech layoffs reach 45,000 in March

#31

Post by Retric »

jjmarr wrote: post #25
mc32 wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m down for that. There are so many “facilitators” in middle management, some really good and quite a few bad ones and many making no difference. I don’t know how people thought they were good positions to hire for. Remember before Covid many a company deadweight showing us the vast amounts of unwork they did at their companies on their YouTube videos? Proudly showing how idle they were? Not all the firings are dead…

In a zero interest rate environment, literally any return on investment justifies spending. If interest rates are 3.8%, the company needs at least a 3.8% return every year on your yearly compensation to justify your job.

Not if they are compensated during the year.

Grocery stores have slim margins, but if you make 10k after selling 1M worth of stock buy turn over that stock 12 times a year that’s ~12% annual ROI not 1%.

Re: 2026 tech layoffs reach 45,000 in March

#32

Post by MSFT_Edging »

simianwords wrote: post #30
PlanksVariable wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Surprised it took this long. I feel bad for the employees, but I can’t remember the last success they had. Metaverse, VR, throwing absurd money at AI and for what?

threads?

you don't often see screenshots of threads posts on other sites like you do twitter/bluesky.

Re: 2026 tech layoffs reach 45,000 in March

#33

Post by cyanydeez »

bwestergard wrote: post #4

The framing of this makes it seem like this is a sharp change in trend, but this long-running layoff tracker shows no evidence of this. 2020 and 2023 both had serious layoff spikes, but the 2023 spike trailed off to an asymptote that we're still hovering around. https://layoffs.fyi/

If you go into the larger field, the trend since 2021 is overall concerning, particularly if you factor in Trump's desire to just stop reporting: https://www.macrotrends.net/3208/us-layoffs-and-discharges

Re: 2026 tech layoffs reach 45,000 in March

#34

Post by abuani »

jameskilton wrote: post #13
PlanksVariable wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Surprised it took this long. I feel bad for the employees, but I can’t remember the last success they had. Metaverse, VR, throwing absurd money at AI and for what?

Mark Zuckerberg is no longer the kingmaker that he was during Facebook's peak, and he is desperately trying to create the next platform to be the one in power once again. It would be sad if it wasn't so unbelievably destructive to everything it touches.

Curious to see how they can turn moltbook into a money maker. Do they sell ads to agents?

Re: 2026 tech layoffs reach 45,000 in March

#35

Post by bayarearefugee »

PlanksVariable wrote: post #9
ttul wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s the business cycle, mostly. During the pandemic, low interest rates drove a boom in risk investing that flowed downhill into tech company balance sheets. Of course everyone used the money to hire lots of developers and engineers - probably more than were needed for the business opportunity they were exploiting. I think AI is being used as an excuse for layoffs rather than the cause. Companies don’t have the cash…

And for how many more years are we going to be calling this a post-Covid market correction?

Also, whether Covid is to blame or not, all these layoffs (not just the Meta one) contradict some of the most common rationalizations I've seen for how AI won't destroy the labor market but rather expand it.

If there really is all this latent untapped need to drive a Jevron's effect software explosion that will keep developers employable, why would so many profitable companies be laying off so many workers into the transition?

Re: 2026 tech layoffs reach 45,000 in March

#36

Post by logicchains »

doomslayer999 wrote: post #10
smithcoin wrote: post #8

Cutting layers of bureaucracy not replacing with AI

[flagged]

It's not the boomers' fault, they were misled into believing the social security system they were paying into was a genuine savings system, not just a perpetual wealth transfer system from the young to the old.

Re: 2026 tech layoffs reach 45,000 in March

#37

Post by yacin »

simianwords wrote: post #30
PlanksVariable wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Surprised it took this long. I feel bad for the employees, but I can’t remember the last success they had. Metaverse, VR, throwing absurd money at AI and for what?

threads?

also just another clear ripoff. they copy, they acquire, but they cannot seem to innovate.

Re: 2026 tech layoffs reach 45,000 in March

#38

Post by Lerc »

AnimalMuppet wrote: post #27
Lerc wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In a very real sense these are still ripples from the death of Franz Ferdinand.

Not in a very useful sense, though. If you can show that the death of Franz Ferdinand necessarily caused tech layoffs in 2026, I'll listen. I don't think you can, though.

I think you could absolutely draw a causal link, it wouldn't explain why 2026 instead of 2024 or 2028.

Re: 2026 tech layoffs reach 45,000 in March

#40

Post by IgorPartola »

rishabhaiover wrote: post #29
smithcoin wrote: post #8

Cutting layers of bureaucracy not replacing with AI

Google's projected AI capex spend is $170-180 billion for this year. It's unreasonable to think AI would not be a reason for companies to consider layoffs.

There are two ways to interpret your comment:

1. Google is getting so much productivity out of their AI that they need fewer people.

2. Google is spending so much on AI they can’t afford to keep the people they need.

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