Tech employees face brutal start to 2024 as layoffs continue

Just weeks into the new year, the tech industry is already casting a dark shadow over its employees.

According to data from Layoffs.fyi, a layoff-tracking website, a total of 10,963 employees have been let go by 63 tech companies.

TikTok, the popular short-video app, became the latest casualty. The company laid off around 60 employees, primarily from its sales and advertising departments, according to an NPR report.

This follows a wave of layoffs from tech giants like Google and Amazon earlier in the month, all attempting to cut costs after a pandemic-fueled hiring spree.

Here’s a look at the biggest tech layoffs of 2024 so far:

Frontdesk: Proptech startup Frontdesk became the first company to carry out layoffs in 2024 by firing around 200 employees over a two-minute Google Meet call. During the call, Frontdesk CEO Jesse DePinto notified the employees that the company would be pursuing a state receivership as an alternative to filing for bankruptcy.

Humane: Ahead of its highly anticipated $699 screenless AI pin launch, Humane, a Sam Altman-backed startup, has let go of 10 employees, or 4 percent of its staff.

Amazon’s Twitch: Amazon’s Twitch streaming platform laid off 35 percent of its staff, roughly 500 employees. These cuts follow mounting concerns about Twitch’s profitability and recent executive departures.

Additionally, Amazon is planning to lay off employees from Prime Video and MGM Studios. The company is also letting go of approximately 30 employees in its Buy with Prime unit.

Meanwhile, Amazon-owned online audiobook and podcast service Audible is laying off about 5 percent of its workforce, or around 100 employees.

Google: Earlier this month, Google said that it would lay off several employees in various units, including the Voice Assistant teams, hardware divisions responsible for Pixel, Nest, and Fitbit, the advertising sales team, and the augmented reality team. According to a report from The Verge, approximately 1,000 employees have been affected by these layoffs.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai told employees to expect more job cuts at the Alphabet-owned company this year. Pichai said in the memo that the layoffs this year were focused on removing layers to simplify execution and drive velocity in some areas.

Meanwhile, Google’s video platform YouTube is looking to lay off around 100 employees, according to a TechCrunch report.

Discord: Instant messaging service Discord has announced a workforce reduction of 17 percent, affecting approximately 170 employees. During a virtual meeting, the company informed its staff that they would receive an email notifying them whether they had been impacted by the layoffs.

Unity Software: Videogame software provider Unity Software said that it will reduce its workforce by 25 percent, eliminating about 1,800 jobs in a new round of cuts.

The reductions are part of a “company reset” outlined in November, Unity said in an emailed statement.

Wayfair: Online ecommerce firm Wayfair announced layoffs that will affect 13 percent of its workforce or about 1,650 workers. The announcement comes just weeks after CEO Niraj Shah sent a company-wide email saying the online retailer is “profitable” once again, while also warning employees to work longer hours and be judicious with company resources.

Riot Games: Tencent Holdings’ Riot Games plans to lay off 530 employees, or about 11 percent of its staff globally. Los Angeles-based Riot, whose popular titles include “League of Legends”, said teams outside of core development will see the largest impact from layoffs.

Instagram: Meta-owned photo-sharing app Instagram has eliminated 60 technical program manager positions, according to a report by The Information. The affected employees have two months to apply for other roles within the company. If they are unsuccessful in securing a new position within that timeframe, their employment will be terminated.