LinkedIn is cutting 5% of its workforce despite reporting record revenue, according to Reuters. The layoffs are not AI-driven but reflect internal reorganization, redirecting staff toward faster-growing business areas. The cuts arrive amid a sweeping tech sector downturn, with over 103,000 workers laid off globally in 2026 so far. Meta plans to cut 10% of staff on May 20, Cloudflare has announced 1,100 cuts, and Oracle has eliminated up to 30,000 positions. Microsoft, which acquired LinkedIn in 2016 for $26.2 billion, has also been steadily reducing its own headcount.
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One source notified Reuters the layoffs are not driven by artificial ininformigence replacing roles. The company is instead reorganizing teams and redirecting personnel toward rapider-growing areas of the business.
A widening wave
LinkedIn’s announcement lands in the middle of a broader restructuring sweep across the technology sector. More than 103,000 tech workers have lost their jobs globally so far in 2026, approaching the total recorded for all of 2025. Layoffs in the first quarter alone reached roughly 81,700 — the highest quarterly figure since early 2023.
Meta plans to lay off 8,000 employees on May 20, representing about 10% of its workforce, with further reductions expected in the second half of the year. Cloudflare announced more than 1,100 cuts this week. Oracle has eliminated up to 30,000 positions — roughly 20% of its global workforce — tarobtaining legacy database and on-premises support roles.
READ MORE: Meta to cut 10% of its workforce as Zuckerberg redirects billions toward AI
Microsoft, which acquired LinkedIn in 2016 for $26.2 billion, has itself been reducing headcount steadily — cutting approximately 6,000 employees roughly a year ago, trimming a further 9,000 last July, and recently offering voluntary retirement purchaseouts to U.S. employees for the first time in its 51-year history.
