LinkedIn, the Microsoft-owned professional networking platform, has laid off 281 employees across California, affecting a wide range of roles including software engineers, machine learning experts, product managers, and designers. According to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) notice filed with state officials, the layoffs are spread across multiple locations:
- Mountain View: 159 employees
- San Francisco: 60 employees
- Sunnyvale: 23 employees
- Carpinteria: 11 employees
- Remote workers (California-based): 28 employees
The WARN document, reported by SF Gate, confirms that 71 of the positions eliminated in Mountain View were specifically from software engineering roles, including staff and senior-level engineers. Other technical roles impacted include DevOps engineers, machine learning specialists, and infrastructure experts—signaling a deep cut into the platform’s technical core.
Also affected are professionals working in strategic and creative functions such as deal desk strategists, product managers, and UX designers.
AI and Corporate Restructuring May Be Driving Job Cuts
While LinkedIn has not released an official statement, industry observers point to Microsoft’s overarching strategy shift toward artificial intelligence as a likely catalyst behind the layoffs. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella recently revealed that AI now writes up to 30% of the code in several internal projects—a figure that underscores the growing role of automation in core development workflows.
These layoffs appear to be part of Microsoft’s wider workforce reduction, estimated to affect 6,000 employees globally. Earlier this month, 122 Microsoft employees in the Bay Area were laid off in a separate wave of cuts.
Although no public remarks have been issued by LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky, this silence contrasts sharply with the company’s 2023 layoff of 716 employees, when Roslansky directly addressed the decision in a widely circulated employee email. The lack of communication this time around has left many employees and observers speculating about the scale and direction of future cuts.
A Shifting Landscape for Tech Jobs
With over 18,400 full-time employees worldwide, LinkedIn has long been seen as a stable platform within the Microsoft ecosystem. However, this latest layoff announcement signals a potential strategic shift. As AI tools become more embedded in development, operations, and product functions, companies like Microsoft are re-evaluating their workforce needs.
The timing of the layoffs also aligns with a broader industry trend of streamlining operations amid economic headwinds and increasing automation capabilities. While AI offers increased productivity, it also raises difficult questions about the future of human roles in tech-driven companies, particularly in areas once considered secure—like engineering.
Neither LinkedIn nor Microsoft has responded to media queries about severance details, whether affected employees will be absorbed elsewhere within the company, or if further cuts are planned.