2025 will witness an increasingly clear reality when AI is not only a productivity support tool, but has become a direct driving force leading to large-scale layoffs in the technology industry.
If in 2024, most businesses still avoid linking human resource cuts with AI, then in this year, many technology giants have publicly admitted that.
According to a report by consulting firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, in the US alone, AI has contributed to the loss of at least 55,000 jobs by 2025.
Data from CNBC shows that in October and November 2025, US companies fired more than 224,000 employees, of which about 6,000 cases were identified as directly related to the application of AI.
Economic pressure, inflation and rising operating costs are underlying factors, but AI has become an attractive solution for businesses to cut down on human resource costs.
A study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) shows that AI tools are now capable of replacing nearly 11.7% of the US workforce and saving up to $1,200 billion in wages in areas such as finance, healthcare and professional services.
Amazon is one of the first technology corporations to make public the link between AI and hiring. In October 2025, the company confirmed that it would cut at least 14,000 employees, and warned that it would continue to streamline the apparatus.
Amazons leadership admits that AI allows businesses to operate with fewer employees, fewer people, but faster innovation.
Microsoft is also moving in a similar direction, cutting a total of about 15,000 jobs in 2025. CEO Satya Nadella believes that the company needs to "reshape its mission" in the AI era, shifting from a software factory model to an intellectual property platform.
Although it affirmed that it will recruit again, Microsoft admitted that the future workforce will be more compact but more efficient thanks to AI.
At Salesforce, about 4,000 customer service positions have been cut when the AI virtual assistant takes on up to 50% of the workload.
CEO Marc Benioff frankly admitted that the company needs fewer people for jobs that used to depend on manual labor.
IBM and CrowdStrike are no exception. IBM said AI chatbot has replaced hundreds of positions in human resources, while CrowdStrike cuts down 5% of its workforce, considering AI a key factor in helping businesses accelerate innovation.
In addition, Intel, Duolingo and many other companies are pushing for restructuring towards automation, gradually reducing vulnerable locations.
This trend shows that AI is not only changing the way of working, but is directly deciding who should stay and who should leave in the technology industry.
