Oracle Layoffs: Oracle Corporation has initiated another significant round of layoffs, with its Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) division among the hardest hit, according to a report by Channel Futures. Over the weekend, numerous reports surfaced online, suggesting a large number of job cuts across Oracle, with 'several hundred' positions reportedly eliminated within OCI alone.
Channel Futures reached out to Oracle for comment but had not received a response. Details on the precise number of layoffs are sparse. According to posts on the workplace discussion site TheLayoff.com, 15 employees, including some high performers, were let go on Friday, November 1. Another commenter speculated that these cuts represent 0.1 per cent of OCI's workforce of approximately 15,000. Other comments on the site suggested the layoffs may go well beyond 15 individuals, with some workers noting that affected employees “disappeared from Slack within 2-3 hours” and were not given opportunities to transfer to other positions.
On Blind, an anonymous professional networking platform, one commenter estimated OCI layoffs at several hundred, affecting employees from recent college graduates to senior directors. "The company is trying to cut high [total compensation] employees and replace them with lower-cost hires," one commenter alleged. Another added, "This is how Intel killed itself," with others expressing shock, as OCI was previously thought to be "protected" from such cuts.
As of now, reports suggest that the layoffs are primarily impacting US-based employees, with additional reports of marketing personnel also affected. This latest round of layoffs comes about a month after Oracle announced other job cuts, which included employees in the US, southern Europe, and parts of the EMEA region.
Discussing the layoffs on Blind, an individual claiming to be an Oracle employee commented, "Oracle is a giant company. It does layoffs literally every month. The frequency with which these cuts affect specific departments depends on the company’s overall goals and department performance."
Some online speculation suggests that Oracle, along with other major tech companies, may be using these layoffs to reduce sponsored US positions previously filled by international employees, refilling these roles in lower-cost regions like India. There is also talk that these cuts coincide with heightened tensions leading up to the US presidential election.
This round of cuts comes shortly after Oracle's significant announcements regarding its cloud computing partnerships. The company, ranked as the fourth-largest global cloud provider, recently partnered with Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud to offer its database services, signaling strategic expansion even as it streamlines certain operations.