Big Tech, media firms start off 2024 with fresh US job cuts

Big Tech and media companies in the U.S. have kicked off 2024 with fresh plans to cut jobs, signaling the spate of layoffs seen last year will likely continue as firms navigate persistent economic uncertainty.

Here are some of the job cuts announced by tech and media companies in January.

Amazon
Jan. 18 – The Buy with Prime unit laying off less than 5% of its employees.

Jan. 11 – Audiobook and podcast division Audible laying off 5% of its workforce, according to a memo from the head of the division.

Jan. 10 – Amazon set to lay off several hundred employees in its streaming and studio operations, extending job cuts into 2024.

Jan. 9 – Streaming unit Twitch to cut 35% of its staff, or about 500 workers, as reported by Bloomberg News.

Alphabet
Jan. 22 – X Lab, Alphabet’s division for developing new technology, laying off dozens of workers and turning to outside investors for funding.

Jan. 16 – Google, part of Alphabet, laying off hundreds of employees in its advertising sales team.

Jan. 11 – Google laying off hundreds of people across teams, including the hardware team responsible for Pixel, Nest and Fitbit, and the majority of those in the augmented reality team.

Salesforce
Jan. 26 – Salesforce laying off about 700 employees, roughly 1% of its global workforce, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Microsoft
Jan. 25 – Microsoft set to lay off 1,900 employees at Activision Blizzard and Xbox.

Paramount Global
Jan. 25 – Paramount Global plans an unspecified number of layoffs, aims to become a leaner organization.

Business Insider
Jan. 25 – Business Insider plans to lay off around 8% of its staff, according to CEO Barbara Peng.

IBM
Jan. 24 – IBM plans to lay off some employees in 2024, but will hire more for AI-centered roles, likely ending the year with its headcount unchanged.

Aurora Innovation
Jan. 24 – Autonomous vehicle technology company Aurora Innovation said it had cut 3% of its workforce as part of a reorganization exercise.

eBay
Jan. 23 – eBay plans to cut about 1,000 roles, or around 9% of its current workforce.

Los Angeles Times
Jan. 23 – The Los Angeles Times plans to lay off 94 journalists who are members of the newspaper’s union.

Walt Disney
Jan. 11 – Pixar Animation Studios, part of Walt Disney, set to cut jobs after completing production on some shows and having more staff than needed.

Unity Software
Jan. 8 – Videogame software provider Unity Software plans to lay off approximately 25% of its workforce, to cut around 1,800 jobs. Reuters