Exclusive-LinkedIn planning to lay off 5% of staff in latest tech-sector cuts, source says
LinkedIn Layoffs Amid Broader Tech Industry Reductions
By Jeffrey Dastin and Jeff Horwitz
Details of the Planned Layoffs
SAN FRANCISCO, May 13 (Reuters) - LinkedIn planned to inform staff of layoffs on Wednesday, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters, in a widening of technology sector cuts this year.
The Microsoft-owned social network plans to cut about 5% of its headcount as it reorganizes teams and focuses personnel on areas where its business is growing, said one of the people, on condition of anonymity.
Scope and Impact
LinkedIn employs more than 17,500 full-time workers globally, its website says. Reuters was unable to determine the teams affected.
The cuts come as revenue at LinkedIn, which sells recruiting tools and subscriptions, rose 12% in the just-ended quarter from a year prior, in an acceleration of growth in 2026, according to Microsoft's securities filings.
Drivers Behind the Layoffs
Artificial Intelligence and Organizational Changes
The layoff rationale was not for artificial intelligence to replace jobs at LinkedIn, one of the people told Reuters. The specter of AI-fueled disruption has nonetheless hung over software incumbents and workers generally.
AI’s Influence Across the Tech Sector
Technology companies are increasingly reshaping their operations around AI. Jack Dorsey's Block in February announced it planned to eliminate nearly half its workforce, while Cloudflare last week unveiled a roughly 20% cut. Meta Platforms was targeting a May 20 layoff, Reuters earlier reported.
While some AI leaders have warned of job displacement, other industry executives say technology is altering work rather than erasing it. Many Silicon Valley software developers now use AI to generate code for them, for instance.
Industry-Wide Layoff Trends
Layoffs.fyi, a layoff tracker for tech workers, has tallied cuts at more than 103,000 so far this year. That's approaching the more than 124,000 reductions that Layoffs.fyi counted for the whole of 2025, according to the site.
(Reporting by Jeffrey Dastin and Jeff Horwitz in San Francisco; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama, Rod Nickel and Nick Zieminski)
