Tech layoffs update this week: Sony, Bumble, Expedia, and (maybe) Apple cut jobs

February was another bad month for the tech industry as far as layoffs are concerned. The month began with job cuts at tech giants including Amazon and Snap. Now the final week of February sees even more big names added to the layoffs list, including Sony, Bumble, and, perhaps, Apple. Here’s the latest update on job losses in the sector:

Sony Interactive Entertainment

Yesterday, Sony Interactive Entertainment announced it will cut 900 jobs, or about 8% of its global workforce. In an email to employees SIE CEO Jim Ryan said, “Today, I am writing with sad news. Through discussions over the past few months about the evolving economic landscape, changes in the way we develop, distribute, and launch products, and ensuring our organization is future-ready in this rapidly changing industry, we have concluded that tough decisions have become inevitable.”

Ryan said several PlayStation Studios would be affected by layoffs and restructuring, including both London’s Studio and Firesprite studio. In a separate memo, the head of PlayStation Studios, Hermen Hulst, confirmed big-name U.S. studios would also be affected, including Insomniac Games and Naughty Dog, makers of the latest Spider-Man and Last of Us games.

Bumble

Also yesterday, the popular dating app Bumble announced it would lay off some of its workforce as part of its restructuring plan. The company announced 350 positions would go, which equates to about 30% of the company’s workforce.

Bumble’s job cuts, which will impact its employees across the globe, were announced as the company reported its fourth-quarter results, which saw its revenue jump more than 13% to $273.6 million versus the year-ago quarter.

Expedia Group

Online travel giant Expedia Group announced on February 26 that it will cut about 1,500 positions at the company. The cuts will primarily hit the company’s Product & Technology division.

The layoffs were announced by Expedia CEO Peter Kern in a memo to employees, which was obtained by GeekWire. “With so much technical achievement over the last 12 months and so much tech debt behind us, we now are obliged to take a close look at roles, skills, teams, and locations to ensure that our resources are focused in the right areas,” Kern wrote. “As a result, this year we will be reviewing our operations which we expect will result in approximately 1,500 roles being impacted across the globe, mainly in our Product & Technology division.”

Apple

Apple has been the only major tech giant to avoid mass layoffs since the industry began undergoing cuts in 2022. However, if a new report from Bloomberg is accurate, that may be about to change.

Bloomberg yesterday reported that Apple is shuttering its electric vehicle project. The project reportedly had around 2,000 employees working on bringing Apple’s unreleased car to market. While some engineers and other workers on the project will be offered other roles in the company, Bloomberg says there still will be layoffs.

However, it’s important to note that Apple hasn’t publicly announced any layoffs nor how many positions will be affected. Of course, given that Apple never publicly announced that it had an electric vehicle program, it’s no surprise that it hasn’t acknowledged its closure or resulting layoffs.

We reached out to the company for details and will update this post if we hear back.

With these latest layoffs, the tech industry has now seen 45,356 tech jobs lost in 2024 across 176 tech companies, according to data compiled by layoffs tracker Layoffs.fyi.

https://www.fastcompany.com/91041742/tech-layoffs-update-2024-this-week?partner=rss&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=rss+fastcompany&utm_content=rss