Crunchbase: 94,046 tech layoffs through August 2026, up 16.8% on 2025, with AI cited in a third of layoff events
Crunchbase News·medium signal
Crunchbase counts 94,046 tech layoffs from January to August 2026, against 80,486 in the same period of 2025. May's 31,513 was the worst month since March 2023. AI was cited in 33% of tech layoff events this year, up from 1% in 2024. Amazon (17,388), Meta (10,400), Microsoft (4,800) and PayPal (4,760) lead the list, and public companies account for 87% of cuts. The pace has eased since, with June to August down 16.2% year on year.