Eighty Percent
I have been grinding through WGU and have just passed the 80 percent mark! I'm seeing light at the end of the tunnel, and that's awesome to feel. I started this degree in September 2025. I've been really proud of myself committing the work of this degree getting this done as quickly and efficiently as possible.
On a career level two things are happening in parallel right now for me, one is this education while the other is seeking a new job as my current employer will sunset this project that I'm currently on. So getting this degree in hand is really motivating me while I'm still employed at the moment.
I posted about this was last year, and my initial decision to go for a bachelor degree in the first place. Quiet On the Homefront... Not Really Almost a year later and AI seems to be accelerating layoffs.
- In 2025, companies directly cited AI in announcing 55,000 job cuts — more than 12× the number attributed to AI just two years earlier, according to outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. (CBS News)
- From January–April 2026, 78,557 tech workers were laid off, with ~47.9% of those cuts attributed to AI and workflow automation. (Tom's Hardware / Nikkei Asia)
- At least 127,000 U.S. tech workers were laid off in all of 2025. (Crunchbase)
The Acceleration
xychart-beta
title "AI-attributed job cuts by year"
x-axis ["2023", "2024", "2025", "2026 (Jan–Apr)"]
y-axis "Jobs cut (thousands)" 0 --> 60
line [4.5, 10, 55, 37.6]Note: 2024 is an estimate. 2026 covers January–April only — already on pace to exceed 2025's full-year total. Sources: Challenger, Gray & Christmas; Nikkei Asia / Tom's Hardware.
Company-by-Company Breakdown
| Company | Jobs Cut | Date | Official Announcement | AI Connection |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Workday | ~1,750 (8.5%) | Feb 5, 2025 | CEO memo via SEC 8-K exhibit | CEO Carl Eschenbach: company at a "pivotal moment" as AI demand grows |
| Accenture | ~11,000 | Sep 25, 2025 | Q4 FY25 earnings release (newsroom.accenture.com) | CEO Julie Sweet: "Those we cannot reskill will be exited"; AI automation pivot |
| Chegg | ~45% of workforce (~388) | Oct 27, 2025 | Official press release (investor.chegg.com) | Students switching to generative AI tools; facing "new realities of AI" |
| Amazon | ~14,000 | Oct 28, 2025 | Beth Galetti memo (aboutamazon.com) | SVP Beth Galetti: AI "most transformative technology since the internet" |
| HP | 4,000–6,000 | Nov 25, 2025 | Q4 FY25 earnings press release (hp.com) | AI productivity initiative; ~$1B in savings targeted by end of FY2028 |
| ~700 (15%) | Jan 27, 2026 | SEC 8-K filing | CEO Bill Ready: "double down on an AI-forward approach" | |
| Amazon | ~16,000 | Jan 28, 2026 | Beth Galetti memo — second round (aboutamazon.com) | Second round; continuation of AI-driven restructuring |
| Block | ~4,000 (40%) | Feb 26, 2026 | Q4 2025 Shareholder Letter via SEC 8-K | Jack Dorsey: "Intelligence tools have changed what it means to build and run a company" |
| Atlassian | ~1,600 (10%) | Mar 11, 2026 | CEO blog post (atlassian.com) | CEO Mike Cannon-Brookes: restructuring for the "AI era"; 900+ R&D roles cut |
| Meta | ~8,000 (10%) | Apr 23, 2026 | Q1 2026 earnings report via SEC (announcement was internal memo; Q1 earnings is first official filing confirming the cuts) | Zuckerberg: layoffs a direct consequence of ballooning AI infrastructure budget |
| Cisco | ~4,000 (5%) | May 13, 2026 | CEO Chuck Robbins blog post: "Our Path Forward" (blogs.cisco.com) | "Companies that will win in the AI era will be those with focus, urgency, and discipline" |
| Coinbase | ~700 (14%) | May 5, 2026 | SEC 8-K restructuring plan | Restructuring to "optimize operations for the AI era" |
| Cloudflare | ~1,100 (20%) | May 7, 2026 | Official blog: "Building for the Future" (blog.cloudflare.com) | CEO Matthew Prince: AI usage up 600% in 3 months; "agentic AI era" |
I don't want to sound like an old-man that doesn't like change and says "get off my lawn". However you can't say there isn't a trend. It's a natural conclusion that companies are laying off workers to fund the AI cost. Which is weird to me as they should co-exist instead of replace. You might also have some companies that were planning to layoff people anyway and they are blaming AI as an escape-goat. It's an interesting time because I've always associated layoffs with a company that is cutting back, reorganizing and adjusting. Today we're seeing companies making good profits well above their margins and continue to cut people in replace of artificial intelligence.
I’m not against change, it’s how we adapt to it that truly matters. I’m fortunate to have entered this career in 2011, continued earning certifications, and now I’m close to completing another major milestone in my education. Honestly, without the pressure of today’s job market I don’t know if I would have pursued a degree at all. The competition pushed me to earn something I might not have considered otherwise and in the long run, that’s been a good thing. We have to level-up all the time in this field.
I do feel it’s becoming harder for junior-level professionals to grow within a company or gain the real-world experiences. This used to come naturally with time, that hands‑on progression is what shapes someone into a senior-level expert later in their career. That’s ultimately the difference between my path and someone who has only just earned a degree. I have years of experience to support my education, while others may have the degree. With AI joining the game, this becomes a harder hurdle to get over for the degree only candidates, and as we are finding, even with people that have years of experience.