Tech Layoffs 2026: What Meta, Amazon, Epic Games and Others Are Cutting — and What to Do If You're Affected

The numbers are hard to ignore. The global tech sector has eliminated nearly 60,000 jobs in less than three months of 2026, and the companies doing the cutting are posting record revenues while pointing to artificial intelligence as the reason. For anyone working in tech right now, that statistic does not stay abstract for long.

This is not a repeat of 2023's post-pandemic correction. The companies cutting jobs today are not trimming bloat from over-hiring cycles. They are restructuring around AI, and the gap between corporate earnings reports and employee headcount is widening at a pace the industry has not seen before.

The Scale of What's Happening

So far in 2026, there have been 195 layoffs at tech companies with 59,841 people impacted, averaging 704 people per day. To put that in context, that pace is running ahead of 2025, when 245,953 workers were let go across the full year. If it holds, total cuts could reach 265,000 by December.

What makes 2026 different from the post-pandemic correction of 2023–2024 is the reason behind the cuts: companies are not trimming excess from over-hiring cycles. The 2026 wave is structurally different — it is being driven by companies actively replacing human roles with AI systems.

Company-by-Company: Who Is Cutting and Why

Amazon: The Largest Single Cutter

Among the companies tracked, Amazon accounts for the largest number of layoffs in 2026, with 16,000 job cuts announced so far this year. The company reported revenue of $716.9 billion in 2025, a record, yet framed the layoffs as a push to flatten management layers and speed up decision-making. As the market slows down, AWS and other Amazon units are preparing for another round of layoffs, which is expected to overwhelmingly impact tech talent. An email from HR leader Beth Galetti on January 28 confirmed the 16,000 job cuts.

The optics are jarring. Record revenue, record cuts. RationalFX estimated Amazon's layoffs represent more than half of the tech job cuts recorded in 2026 to date.

Meta: Reality Labs Takes the Hit

Meta laid off 10%, or about 1,500 employees, from its Reality Labs division, which includes 15,000 employees and focuses on metaverse development. Meta employs a total of 78,000 people. In 2025, CEO Mark Zuckerberg directed executives to reduce their 2026 budgets as Meta increasingly focuses on AI research. Meta is also increasing investment in its wearables division, which includes smart glasses, while reducing investment in virtual reality products.

The longer-term picture is more unsettling. Meta has already cut about 1,500 jobs from its Reality Labs division and is reportedly planning further reductions that could affect up to 15,000 workers, roughly 20% of its workforce. The company is spending up to $135 billion on AI capital expenditure in 2026, nearly double its 2025 outlay. The math is explicit: human payroll is being converted into AI infrastructure.

Epic Games: A Gaming Giant Under Pressure

Epic announced that it is laying off 1,000 employees across the company, or about 20% of its workforce, citing reduced engagement with Fortnite. CEO Tim Sweeney was unusually candid in his message to staff. "The downturn in Fortnite engagement that started in 2025 means we're spending significantly more than we're making, and we have to make major cuts to keep the company funded," Sweeney wrote in the memo.

Some of the challenges cited are industry-wide: slower growth, weaker spending, and tougher cost economics; current consoles selling less than last generation's; and games competing for time against other increasingly-engaging forms of entertainment. Notably, the company said the job cuts were not related to AI. Laid-off employees will get four months of severance pay, with more for people with longer tenures.

The latest cuts mark the company's second major round of layoffs in three years. Back in September 2023, Epic had let go of about 830 employees, roughly 16% of its workforce, in a bid to improve profitability.

Block: The Most Direct AI Attribution

Fintech company Block is laying off over 4,000 of its 10,000 employees, a staggering 40% of its workforce. CEO Jack Dorsey said the company's decision to restructure is due to an increased use of AI. "This is not driven by financial difficulty, but by the growing capability of AI tools to perform a wider range of tasks," Dorsey wrote in a company-wide memo that was subsequently shared publicly. For context, that level of candor is rare. Most executives soften the language.

The Broader Wave

The cuts extend well beyond these headline names. Atlassian will reduce its global workforce by approximately 10%, eliminating around 1,600 roles, as the collaboration software maker redirects capital toward artificial intelligence development and enterprise sales. Ericsson has cut 1,900 roles, ASML has reduced 1,700 positions, and eBay let go of 800 workers despite fourth-quarter revenue of $3 billion. CBS News cut 6% of its workforce on March 20, shuttering its nearly century-old radio division.

Why Profitable Companies Are Still Cutting

This is the part that confuses a lot of workers. Surely if revenue is strong, your job is safe? Not in 2026.

A pattern is becoming a template: a company invests in AI tools, audits which roles can be automated, then announces layoffs framed as a competitive necessity. The layoffs often reflect broader corporate restructuring efforts rather than financial distress. Many companies are consolidating teams, reducing management layers, and shifting resources toward emerging technologies and strategic priorities.

"While earlier rounds of layoffs tended to focus on operational and support roles, more recent cuts indicate that the shift is affecting a broader range of positions, including specialized and senior roles as organizations reorganize around AI-first strategies," according to analyst Alan Cohen at RationalFX.

Who Is Most at Risk

A major factor driving 2026 layoffs is the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence. Companies across every sector are experimenting with where AI fits into their workflows, often replacing roles in content creation, customer support, data entry, and basic coding tasks.

The 2025 job market was also shaken by President Donald Trump's fluctuating tariff policies, a reduction of a quarter million jobs within the U.S. government, and a declining base of workers due to immigration policy. It's also a challenging time for entry-level workers, as the unemployment rate has risen more for younger workers than for older employees.

Roles with the highest exposure right now include:

Where the Opportunities Are

The same companies cutting in one area are hiring in another. AI is creating new positions in prompt engineering, AI safety, machine learning operations, and AI-human collaboration. Companies report a 92% increase in hiring for AI-related positions, with a 56% wage premium in high-demand roles.

Many companies are simultaneously laying off workers in some departments while hiring in others. Companies often cut roles in areas like recruiting, marketing, or experimental projects while expanding teams in AI, security, and core product development.

What to Do Right Now If You've Been Laid Off

Getting caught in a layoff is disorienting regardless of how much you've been following the news. The first 72 hours matter most for setting yourself up for a faster recovery.

Your Resume Is Your First Line of Defense

In a market where hundreds of applicants respond to each opening, your resume needs to work harder than ever. Most large companies now use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to filter applications before a human ever reads them. A strong resume that clears the ATS and tells a compelling story is not optional right now — it is the entry ticket.

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Focus on results, not responsibilities. Hiring managers in 2026 are looking for candidates who have adapted to AI-driven workflows, can demonstrate measurable impact, and show evidence of continuous skill development. If you have worked with AI tools in any capacity, call that out explicitly.

The Longer View: What 2026 Is Really Telling Us

Alan Cohen, analyst at RationalFX, said trends from 2025 have "continued full steam into 2026," with entire departments restructured or eliminated in favour of leaner, AI-assisted workflows. "As 2026 progresses, the trajectory of layoffs will likely depend on how quickly companies transition toward AI-driven operations, and whether the technology ultimately leads to the creation of new roles as quickly as it eliminates existing ones," Cohen noted.

In 2026, 55% of 1,000 U.S. hiring managers surveyed by Resume.org said they expect layoffs, and 44% anticipate that AI will be a top driver. That is a majority of hiring managers expecting to cut staff at their own companies within the year.

The professionals who come out of this period in the strongest position will be those who treat this moment as a forcing function rather than a setback. Reskill deliberately, update your materials, and make sure the story your resume tells reflects where the industry is heading, not just where it has been.