In 2026, the world's largest tech companies are doing the same thing: they record record revenue and immediately announce massive cuts.

In 2026, the world's largest tech companies are doing the same thing: they record record revenue and immediately announce massive cuts.

Amazon - 30,000 people. Oracle - 21 000. Meta - 8 000. And that's just part of the list.

Global IT giants are recording record revenues, but at the same time they are making the toughest cuts in recent years. May 2026 marked the peak in the number of layoffs in the industry.

Companies are massively rebuilding business models in order to integrate artificial intelligence and optimize resources. The focus has shifted from inflating staff to the flexibility of small teams and automating processes.

The official reason is the same everywhere: optimization for AI. Companies are rebuilding their business models, focusing on small teams and automation. According to Statista and Bloomberg, May 2026 is already being called the peak in the number of layoffs in IT in recent years.

But here's the paradox - while some positions are disappearing, the demand for other specialists is only growing. According to iScale Solutions, IBM is reducing its line staff and at the same time plans to double the hiring of experts in the field of hybrid clouds and AI.

Neural networks are great at writing boilerplate code and automating routine, but they are absolutely helpless where strategic thinking, infrastructure control, and critical solutions are needed.

For example, IBM, reducing line staff, plans to double the hiring of experts in the field of hybrid clouds and AI. The engineering profession is not dying — it is moving to a new level.

WHO WILL REMAIN IRREPLACEABLE?

Cloud architects: AI can write a piece of code, but it doesn't think globally. Only an architect sees the entire system, designs fault-tolerant solutions, and connects technologies to real business goals.

Information security experts: The integration of neural networks significantly increases the risks of leaks and vulnerabilities. Protecting data and building secure circuits is a game in which AI will never replace humans.

DevOps engineers: AI models don't exist in a vacuum. It is DevOps specialists who deploy, maintain and scale the very infrastructure in which artificial intelligence "lives". Without them, the AI will simply shut down.