Dive Insight:

AI led all reasons for job cuts in April, with 21,490 announced during the month, 26% of overall layoffs. U.S. employers tied 49,135 planned layoffs to AI-related initiatives from January through April. AI-driven cuts now account for roughly 16% of all announced layoffs this year, up from 13% through March, according to the report.

Last month, Snap Inc., owner of the Snapchat social media platform, announced that it was shedding 16% of its global workforce, in addition to closing more than 300 open roles, as the company focuses on AI initiatives.

“Over the past several months, we have carefully reviewed the work required to best serve our community and partners, and made tough choices to prioritize the investments we believe are most likely to create long-term value,” Snap CEO Evan Spiegel said in an April 15 blog post. “As a result of these changes, we expect to reduce our annualized cost base by more than $500 million by the second half of 2026, helping to establish a clearer path to net-income profitability.”

He added that AI will also enable teams to reduce repetitive work and increase velocity.

Meanwhile, Microsoft’s total headcount declined year-over-year during the company’s fiscal 2026 third quarter ended March 31, as the software giant focuses on “building high-performing teams that operate with pace and agility,” CFO Amy Hood said during an April 29 earnings call. She said the company expects the trend to continue, with headcount projected to further decline on a year-over-year basis in the next fiscal year.

The company did not disclose the scale or exact timing of its latest cuts, or business units affected.

In another example, Meta Platforms ended its fiscal 2026 first quarter with over 77,900 employees, down 1% from Q4 “as the impact of headcount optimization efforts in certain functions was partially offset by hiring in priority areas of monetization and infrastructure,” CFO Susan Li said during an earnings call, also on April 29.

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