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Elon Musk has ended the government’s cost-cutting initiative, which has led to thousands of federal job cuts, but the massive layoffs are still shaking America.
The pressure for businesses to cut costs is increasing against the global economic uncertainty brought about by President Donald Trump’s tariff policies. Several companies have announced prices rise. Layoffs show how to pull back another way.
Trade tensions also raise concerns about the general health and job markets of the US economy. Work reading in April was better than expected, but another reading from ADP this week showed that private sector employment reached its lowest level in over two years.
While many companies have refused to provide specific inferences for released workforce reductions, they have instead put together layoffs in larger cost-cutting strategies or growth plans, technology leaders are beginning to cite artificial intelligence as a clear consideration for employment and staffing adjustments.
Klarna CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski told CNBC last month that Fintech Company had cut its personnel by 40%, partly due to its investment in AI. Similarly, Shopify CEO Tobias LĂĽtke told employees in April that they must prove why AI can’t perform tasks before asking for more people and resources.
Here are some of the companies that have announced layoffs in recent weeks.
Proctor & Gamble
Pampers and the maker of tide Proctor & Gamble On Thursday, he said it would cut 7,000 jobs or about 15% of the non-manufacturing workforce over the next two years as part of the restructuring programme.
CFO Andre Schulten said in his presentation that the company is planning a broader effort to implement changes across the company’s portfolio, supply chain and corporate organization.
The company did not specify the affected region or department.
Microsoft
Microsoft Last month, the workforce said it would cut around 6,000 staff and cut around 3% for all teams, levels and local employees.
A Microsoft spokesperson told CNBC when one of the goals of the cut was to reduce the management side. The company announced a smaller round of performance-based layoffs in January. The spokesman said the May cuts had nothing to do with performance.
Citigroup
On March 1, 2024, we will walk through the City Bank location in Manhattan, New York City.
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Citigroup In a statement Thursday, he said it plans to cut staff in China at around 3,500 positions.
Cuts primarily affect information technology services units that provide software development, testing and maintenance. Some of the roles affected will be moved elsewhere to City’s technology centre, the bank said.
Under the leadership of CEO Jane Fraser, Citi is undergoing a massive restructuring with an eye on profitability and equity performance. Banks have not consistently performed their major bank peers in recent years.
Last year, Citi announced broader plans to either cut its workforce by 10% or cut its roughly 20,000 employees worldwide.
Walmart
Last month, Reuters reported Walmart It had planned to cut approximately 1,500 jobs to simplify the business. The impacted teams include global technology, operations, US-based e-commerce fulfillment, and Walmart Connect, the company’s advertising business.
Walmart employs around 1.6 million people, making it the largest private employer in the United States. CFO John David Rainey told CNBC in an interview last month that Walmart shoppers are likely to see prices rise early in the summer in response to tariffs.
Klarna
Klarna’s Siemiatkowski told employees last month that Swedish shopping would buy now and that the later company would fire 10% of the world’s labor force.
“When we set up our business plan for 2022 last fall, it was a very different world from what we are today,” Siemiatkowski told employees.
The week before that announcement, he told CNBC that Klarna had reduced its labor force by about 40% due to investments in AI and natural attrition into its labor force.
Cloud Strike
Cybersecurity software manufacturer Cloud Strike Last month, it announced plans to cut 500 employees, or about 5% of staff.
CEO George Kurtz attributed it primarily to artificial intelligence.
“We operate at a market and technology inflection point by AI restructuring all industries, accelerating threats and evolving customer needs,” he said, adding that the move is “part of the company’s evolving operating model.”
Disney
On June 3, 2025, there will be a water tower at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California.
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Walt Disney Company Earlier this week, he said he plans to cut hundreds of employees worldwide in several sectors. Layoffs affect film and television marketing, television promotion, casting and development teams.
According to a Disney spokesperson, the cut is part of a bigger effort to run more efficiently.
chegg
Online Educational Company chegg Last month, he said he would fire 248 employees, or about 22% of their workforce. Cutting will take over education by AI-powered tools like Openai’s ChatGpt.
CEO Nathan Schultz said in the company’s May revenue that layoffs are part of the cost-cutting plan, with the expectation of cost-cutting of $45-$55 million this year, with an additional $100-$110 million.
Amazon
Amazon In May, it said it would eliminate approximately 100 jobs in its devices and services sector, including Alexa Voice Assistant, Echo Hardware, Ring Doorbells and Zoox Robotaxis.
An Amazon spokesperson told CNBC the decision was “part of an ongoing effort to run our team and programs more efficiently.
This cut comes when CEO Andy Jassy seeks cost trimming efforts in the company. Since the beginning of 2022, Amazon has fired approximately 27,000 employees.
Warner Bros Discovery
Warner Bros Discovery According to multiple media reports this week, fewer than 100 employees will be fired.
According to the report, certain networks and channels are not affected by other networks and channels.
The WBD reduction follows the company’s move to reorganize it into two divisions: the Global Linear Networks division and the Streaming and Studio Unit. The process was completed in the first quarter.
– CNBC’s Amelia Lucas, Jordan Novett, Annie Bao, Melissa Repko, Ryan Brown, Annie Palmer and Reuters contributed to the report.