Tech Layoffs 2025: Salesforce to Slash 1,000 Jobs
The tech industry’s employment landscape is off to a challenging start in the new year. Salesforce, a major player in the technology sector, is reportedly planning to eliminate 1,000 positions. This move follows similar actions by other prominent tech companies, including Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft.
Salesforce to Reduce Workforce
According to a Bloomberg report, Salesforce, a leading customer-relationship-management software company, will be cutting over 1,000 jobs. The information, sourced from an unnamed source, has not been officially confirmed by Salesforce.
Details regarding which departments will be most affected by the layoffs remain undisclosed. However, the Bloomberg source mentioned that affected employees will have the opportunity to apply for other roles within the company. Salesforce has been contacted for comment.
It is important to note that these cuts do not necessarily represent a net reduction in Salesforce’s workforce. The company is also actively hiring salespeople to promote its artificial intelligence offerings to customers.
As of January 2024, Salesforce reported a workforce of 73,000 employees. The planned reduction of 1,000 positions equates to less than 1% of its total workforce.
Broader Trend of Tech Layoffs
Numerous major tech companies have already announced plans to reduce their workforce in 2025, just weeks into the new year.
In mid-January, Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, announced layoffs impacting about 5% of its 72,000-person workforce. This translates to roughly 3,600 employees, according to Bloomberg. CEO Mark Zuckerberg, in an internal memo, stated that the company was increasing performance standards to improve efficiency.
Last month, Microsoft also implemented layoffs, targeting employees considered to be low performers, as reported by Business Insider. The exact number of impacted employees at the Redmond, Washington-based company remains unknown. Microsoft has been asked for comment.
Amazon also revealed plans to eliminate staff in January, with dozens of positions in its communications department targeted, Bloomberg reported.
These layoffs are not limited to the largest tech companies.
Smaller tech companies have also announced workforce reductions since the start of the year, including Stripe, a payments platform, which is eliminating 300 positions, and Placer.ai, an Israeli location-analytics firm, which is laying off 150 workers.
Echoes of Previous Years?
The recent announcements have sparked concerns among those in the tech industry who weathered the widespread layoffs of 2022 to 2024, during which hundreds of thousands of tech workers lost their jobs. Many are now wondering if 2025 will bring a repeat of those challenging times.
It is too early to determine how 2025 will unfold. The mass layoffs between 2022 and 2024 were often described as a “correction” following a period of over-hiring during the pandemic when many tech companies saw a surge in users and customers.
In 2025, the growing influence of AI and its potential to replace human workers poses the greatest threat to tech jobs. It remains to be seen if AI will significantly impact tech industry employment this year.
According to Layoffs.fyi, a site tracking layoffs, 31 tech companies have laid off just over 7,000 employees so far in 2025. This contrasts with the 152,000 employees laid off across various companies in 2024 and the 264,000 and 165,000 laid off in 2023 and 2022, respectively.
