LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional networking platform owned by Microsoft, has laid off 281 employees across California, signaling yet another wave of tech job cuts amid the industry’s ongoing transformation. The layoffs span key roles in engineering, product management, design, and strategy, with a noticeable impact on software engineers.
According to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) filing reviewed by SFGate, the job cuts are spread across multiple California locations, including Mountain View, San Francisco, Sunnyvale, and Carpinteria. Remote workers based in California were also affected. Mountain View saw the largest reduction, with 159 roles eliminated, followed by 60 in San Francisco, 23 in Sunnyvale, 11 in Carpinteria, and 28 remote employees.
The latest round of cuts appears to be part of a broader restructuring effort by Microsoft, which earlier this month reportedly slashed an estimated 6,000 jobs across its global operations. Among those affected were 122 Microsoft employees based in the Bay Area.
Industry analysts suggest that Microsoft’s accelerating shift toward artificial intelligence may be driving the workforce shakeup. In April, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella revealed that AI now writes up to 30% of the company’s internal code, a revelation that underscores how automation is reshaping human roles, even at the highest levels of tech.
The WARN filing indicates that a significant portion of the layoffs at LinkedIn targeted software engineers, including senior and staff-level professionals. Specialists in machine learning, DevOps, and systems infrastructure were also impacted, alongside employees in non-engineering functions like product management and deal desk strategy.
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While the company has yet to publicly explain the rationale behind the decision, the absence of communication has raised questions. In contrast, when LinkedIn cut 716 jobs in 2023, CEO Ryan Roslansky issued an internal memo to staff explaining the move. This time, no such message has emerged.
LinkedIn, headquartered on the border of Sunnyvale and Mountain View, has grown to employ over 18,400 people globally. However, that figure now appears likely to drop as the company and its parent reorient toward AI-driven innovation.
As of now, neither LinkedIn nor Microsoft has responded to inquiries regarding severance packages, future layoffs, or how the restructuring aligns with their broader business goals.
With artificial intelligence increasingly influencing corporate strategy, this round of job cuts could mark a pivotal moment in how tech giants balance human talent with machine capability in the race toward digital transformation.
