Winning Bizness Desk

Mumbai.Oracle has started another round of layoffs, with thousands of employees in the US losing their jobs as the technology giant reshapes its workforce to focus more heavily on artificial intelligence and cloud infrastructure. The move has also triggered uncertainty among employees at Oracle’s development centres in India, where the company has not yet disclosed how many jobs could be affected.

The company is increasing investment in AI and cloud infrastructure while cutting budgets in some traditional areas. The latest layoffs in the US indicate that Oracle’s restructuring is continuing, even as the company builds up newer technology-focused operations.

Employees reportedly found themselves locked out of company systems before receiving any formal communication about their jobs. The process has drawn attention because access to work systems was reportedly withdrawn several hours before the termination email arrived.

System access reportedly shut before emails arrived

According to a Business Insider report, employees facing layoffs were disconnected from essential company systems before receiving official confirmation of their termination.

Their VPN access was disabled and their Slack accounts were disconnected. By around 6 am, employees received emails informing them that their positions were being eliminated and that the same day would be their last day at the company.

Employees described the process as particularly harsh, with several stages reportedly taking place during the early morning hours:

• Around 4 am: Employees were unable to log into company systems.
• Around 5 am: Their accounts on messaging platform Slack were automatically logged out.
• Office access stopped: Employees’ entry cards stopped working at company premises.
• Around 6 am: Management emails told employees that their positions were being eliminated due to changes within the company and that the day would be their last.

Oracle has already cut around 13% of its workforce this year, amounting to about 21,000 employees. As of May 31, 2026, the company had around 1.41 lakh employees worldwide. The layoffs reported in the US on September 14 suggest that the restructuring exercise is still under way.

Technical and software teams among those affected

The latest job cuts are reportedly not primarily linked to poor individual performance. Instead, employees are being affected as Oracle changes its business priorities and reallocates resources. This means even employees with years of experience and strong performance records can find themselves affected when their roles no longer fit the company’s new priorities.

The departments facing the biggest impact include:

• Technical teams working on data centre operations and cloud security.
• Software developers involved in products such as Fusion, NetSuite and HR software.
• Sales and support teams, including sales executives and employees handling customer assistance.

If a similar round of layoffs begins in India, the impact could extend beyond customer care and support roles to technical and engineering teams as well.

India had already seen layoffs earlier this year

Oracle India had faced another major round of job cuts in March-April this year. Reports at the time said around 12,000 employees had lost their jobs, although Oracle did not officially confirm the figure.

At the same time, Oracle is not simply shrinking its workforce across the board. The company is reducing jobs in some older areas while hiring for newer businesses linked to AI and data centres.

AI, infrastructure and data centres now key focus areas

Oracle is placing greater emphasis on infrastructure, stronger networks, data centre construction and AI-based technologies. The shift suggests that the company is moving resources away from some traditional operations and towards areas expected to support its cloud and AI expansion.

The change in priorities could also affect the nature of jobs in India. Employees may face changes in their existing roles as Oracle reduces some older software-related work and expands operations connected with AI, cloud services and infrastructure.

India employees watch US layoffs closely

The September 14 layoffs in the US have increased concerns among Oracle employees in India. While there is no official information yet on further job cuts in the country, the scale and direction of the company’s restructuring

have raised questions over which teams could be affected next.

For Indian employees, the key issue will be whether Oracle’s shift towards AI and data-centre operations leads to further changes in staffing, roles and hiring priorities. The company’s strategy now appears increasingly centred on newer technology areas even as it continues to restructure its existing workforce.

Key points to watch:

• No official figure has been released on possible India layoffs.
• Oracle has cut about 21,000 jobs globally this year, according to the report.
• AI, cloud infrastructure and data centres remain major investment areas.
• Technical, software, sales and support teams have reportedly been affected.
• Oracle is also continuing to hire in newer technology-focused areas.