Oracle has initiated another wave of layoffs, with employees receiving termination emails early Monday morning as part of a broader restructuring plan. This latest round of cuts follows a reduction of approximately 21,000 employees, or 13%, in fiscal 2026. Before these layoffs, Oracle employed around 141,000 people globally. The number of employees affected by this new round has not been disclosed, but the company has increased the estimated cost of its fiscal 2026 restructuring plan by $700 million, bringing the total to approximately $2.8 billion.
Earlier estimates suggested that Oracle's broader restructuring could impact between 20,000 and 30,000 positions, but this figure has not been confirmed for the latest cuts. Employees received notification emails indicating immediate job termination, with severance packages offered, although the terms varied by role and region. Some teams experienced significant cuts, as noted in an internal document reviewed by Business Insider.
The layoffs began early in the morning, with termination emails arriving as early as 6 a.m. This process has faced criticism from staff and has led to discussions on social media. According to posts on a Reddit forum, the layoffs followed a coordinated timeline, with access to company systems being disabled before the termination emails were sent.
Some employees reported discovering their layoffs upon waking, while others noted the emotional impact of receiving an impersonal email after years of service. One employee described being locked out of the building and having to retrieve their termination email from outside.
The company had previously disclosed that its restructuring plan was already costly, with the additional $700 million covering severance, contract termination, and other restructuring costs. The restructuring is part of Oracle's strategy to invest in AI and cloud infrastructure while improving efficiency and managing costs.
Oracle has not publicly commented on whether AI systems are taking over the roles of those laid off. The layoffs at Oracle are part of a larger trend in the technology sector, with companies like Amazon, Dell, Uber, and PayPal also announcing job cuts as they restructure their workforces and increase investment in new technologies.