Tech layoffs cross 70,000 in April 2024

The wave of mass layoffs swept across some of the world's largest companies in April 2024, with tech titans like Tesla, Google, and Apple forced to cut thousands of jobs. So far, more than 70,000 people have lost their jobs in the tech sector this year.

Apple fired over 600 employees

Apple laid off 614 employees, marking its first significant job cuts since the pandemic started. The employees affected are said to be part of Apple’s special projects group, some of which were working on the now-cancelled self-driving car project. Sources tell that numbers could even be higher considering some employees working out of overseas locations also lost their jobs.

Google lays off a “lot” of staffs in Python, Flutter, and Dart teams

Google laid off a “lot” of employees across teams, including those working on Python, Flutter, and Dart. A Google spokesperson said that the job cuts are part of restructuring, and the impacted employees have the option to apply for other open roles within the company.

Amazon cut 100s of roles at its cloud division

Amazon is cutting hundreds of jobs in its cloud computing division, affecting sales, marketing, and technology teams for brick-and-mortar stores. The layoff is part of the company's effort to streamline targeted areas and focus on core business objectives.

Intel fire over 50 employees at its headquarters

Intel has confirmed that it is laying off approximately 62 employees at its headquarters in Santa Clara, California. The company initiated a new round of layoffs in the Sales and Marketing Group as part of a reorganisation led by Christoph Schell.

Google’s real estate and finance departments hit by job cuts

Employees across several of Google's teams, including its real estate and finance departments, were affected by a separate layoff last month as it trims down its costs. Affected employees can apply for other internal roles. Some of the roles will move to hubs that the company is investing in, including India, Chicago, Atlanta, and Dublin.

Amazon cuts hundreds of jobs in AWS teams

Amazon Web Services (AWS) cut several hundred jobs in April, including employees in sales, marketing, and tech roles. The job cuts at AWS are the latest in a series of job cuts by its parent company, Amazon.com. The impacted staff include a few hundred each at AWS' sales, marketing, and global services division and the physical stores technology team, the cloud-computing arm of Amazon said.

"We've identified a few targeted areas of the organisation we need to streamline," an AWS spokesperson told Reuters in an email.

Byjus lays off 500 employees

Edtech company Byju's laid off around 500 employees, nearly 3% of its workforce, due to a funding crisis and unrest among investors. The layoffs affect sales, marketing, and teaching roles as part of ongoing restructuring. In 2023, the company fired 4,500 employees.

Tesla lays off thousands, as it struggles with weak sales

Elon Musk-owned electric vehicle maker Tesla sacked thousands of employees across multiple divisions. The layoffs aim to reduce Tesla's global headcount by around 10% as the company tries to rein in costs amid weakening sales and intensifying price competition.

Ola Cabs cuts 200 jobs, CEO steps down

Ola Cabs is laying off around 10% of its workforce, or 200 employees. Hemant Bakshi, the CEO of Ola Cabs, resigned only four months after taking the position. Bhavesh Aggarwal, one of Ola's co-founders, will take over day-to-day operations following Bakshi's departure.

Healthifyme laid off 27% of staff in restructuring

Bengaluru-based health tech startup Healthify laid off 150 employees, about 27% of its workforce, in a restructuring exercise. The layoffs primarily impacted sales and product teams. CEO Tushar Vashist confirmed the layoffs, stating the restructuring aims to make India business profitable and expand in the US market.

Whirlpool laid off 1,000 employees

Home appliances maker Whirlpool fired around 1,000 salaried employees globally as part of its cost-cutting efforts.The move is expected to save up to $400 million in costs this year. According to the company's annual filing, it had about 59,000 employees globally last year and expects to incur about $50 million of restructuring charges in 2024.

GTA publisher sacks 5% of its workforce

Take-Two Interactive, the publisher of GTA 6, is laying off around 5% of its workforce and cancelling several projects in development. Previously, the company had completed the process of "right-sizing" its business and had acquired Gearbox from the Embracer Group, confirming that a new Borderlands game was in development.

Telenor fires 100 employees at its headquarters

Telenor, a telecom company based in Norway, has announced that it is sacking 100 employees and significantly reducing the number of temporary staff and consultants in its Norwegian unit as part of a reorganisation. The company has also revealed that it will be closing a call centre in the city of Rorvik.