[Global] Oracle sheds 21,000 jobs in one year and acknowledges AI’s role

The tech multinational Oracle has cut around 21,000 jobs worldwide in the past year and acknowledged that AI is reshaping its cost base, Business Matters reports.

According to the US software and cloud computing giant’s latest annual report, it employed around 141,000 full-time staff as of May 31, 2026, down from about 162,000 a year earlier. The cuts account for approximately 13 per cent of its global workforce.

Oracle reportedly told investors that the “deployment of AI technologies across our operations have resulted, and may continue to result, in reductions to our workforce”. The admission, included in Oracle’s annual filing, makes it one of only a few blue-chip employers to acknowledge the link between workforce cuts and automation. Ordinarily, corporate shorthand cites “efficiency” or “streamlining”.

The cuts have come at a cost. Oracle said it booked about $1.8bn (£1.36bn) in severance and other restructuring costs over the year. Almost five times its $374m spend a year prior. The figures are set out in the company’s annual report filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

Oracle’s pattern - cutting people while investing in machines - is something of a trademark of the AI era. Oracle has hastened to build data centres for other big tech players, including OpenAI and Meta, and reportedly intends to spend at least $50bn on infrastructure this year alone. 

Employment trackers show that across the industry, more than 100,000 technology workers have lost their jobs in the past year, despite industry giants committing enormous amounts of money to the technology. Google, Amazon and Meta alone plan to invest some $650bn between them this year.

Meta has also been cutting roles while expanding its AI budget, and Amazon is reportedly set to make the biggest cuts of all, with plans to shed around 30,000 corporate roles in several rounds. This cull began with 16,000 jobs lost to “remove bureaucracy”. Amazon employs more than 1.5 million people globally, and intends to spend $200bn on AI over the next year.

In October 2025, an internal memo saw a senior Amazon executive arguing that the company needed to be organised “more leanly” because AI was “enabling companies to innovate much faster than ever before”.

Source: Business Matters

(Links and quotes via original reporting)

The tech multinational Oracle has cut around 21,000 jobs worldwide in the past year and acknowledged that AI is reshaping its cost base, Business Matters reports.

According to the US software and cloud computing giant’s latest annual report, it employed around 141,000 full-time staff as of May 31, 2026, down from about 162,000 a year earlier. The cuts account for approximately 13 per cent of its global workforce.

Oracle reportedly told investors that the “deployment of AI technologies across our operations have resulted, and may continue to result, in reductions to our workforce”. The admission, included in Oracle’s annual filing, makes it one of only a few blue-chip employers to acknowledge the link between workforce cuts and automation. Ordinarily, corporate shorthand cites “efficiency” or “streamlining”.

The cuts have come at a cost. Oracle said it booked about $1.8bn (£1.36bn) in severance and other restructuring costs over the year. Almost five times its $374m spend a year prior. The figures are set out in the company’s annual report filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

Oracle’s pattern - cutting people while investing in machines - is something of a trademark of the AI era. Oracle has hastened to build data centres for other big tech players, including OpenAI and Meta, and reportedly intends to spend at least $50bn on infrastructure this year alone. 

Employment trackers show that across the industry, more than 100,000 technology workers have lost their jobs in the past year, despite industry giants committing enormous amounts of money to the technology. Google, Amazon and Meta alone plan to invest some $650bn between them this year.

Meta has also been cutting roles while expanding its AI budget, and Amazon is reportedly set to make the biggest cuts of all, with plans to shed around 30,000 corporate roles in several rounds. This cull began with 16,000 jobs lost to “remove bureaucracy”. Amazon employs more than 1.5 million people globally, and intends to spend $200bn on AI over the next year.

In October 2025, an internal memo saw a senior Amazon executive arguing that the company needed to be organised “more leanly” because AI was “enabling companies to innovate much faster than ever before”.

Source: Business Matters

(Links and quotes via original reporting)