Oracle, one of the world’s largest cloud computing companies, has announced another round of layoffs in the Seattle area, cutting 101 jobs just weeks after letting go of 161 local employees.
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| Oracle layoffs in Seattle: a worker walks away from tech offices as faded logos of Oracle, Microsoft, and Amazon hint at industry uncertainty. |
The latest reductions were disclosed Tuesday in a state regulatory filing and mark the company’s second layoff wave in less than a month. Before these cuts, Oracle employed about 3,900 people in the region.
Tech Layoffs Mount in Seattle and Beyond
Oracle’s move adds to a growing list of tech employers trimming staff in 2025. Since May, major firms including Microsoft, Amazon, T-Mobile, F5 Networks, and Salesforce have confirmed workforce reductions.
- Microsoft has cut more than 15,000 positions in several rounds this year.
- Amazon confirmed layoffs in July that reportedly affected hundreds in its cloud division.
- Salesforce recently eliminated 4,000 customer service jobs, directly attributing those cuts to its adoption of AI technology. Ninety-three of those layoffs hit the Seattle area this week.
- Even outside of tech, companies like Starbucks laid off over 1,000 corporate employees earlier this year to streamline operations.
Why the Layoffs Are Happening
Most tech companies say layoffs are tied to shifting business priorities rather than direct AI replacement. With billions pouring into the artificial intelligence race, many employers are redirecting spending and resources, leading to redundancies in other areas.
Oracle, however, has not commented publicly on what’s driving its local job cuts.
Oracle’s Shrinking Seattle Presence
Oracle, historically a Silicon Valley powerhouse, built up Seattle as a key engineering hub in the years before the pandemic. But in recent years, its physical footprint has steadily declined:
- In 2023, Oracle vacated nearly 100,000 square feet of office space in downtown Seattle’s Century Square tower.
- Last year, the company left its Bellevue offices, where it once occupied three floors of a downtown high-rise.
With repeated layoffs and office downsizing, Oracle’s once-strong presence in the Seattle region has significantly diminished, even as rivals Amazon and Microsoft continue to dominate the local tech economy.
Shifting Priorities in Tech
The wave of layoffs reflects a broader restructuring across the tech industry as companies balance costs, chase profitability, and pour resources into AI. While AI itself is not officially cited as the cause of most cuts, Salesforce’s admission suggests automation is beginning to directly reshape the workforce.
For Seattle, a city heavily dependent on tech jobs, the trend raises questions about the future stability of one of its largest employment sectors.
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