Around 12,000 employees of Oracle in India woke up to shocking news as their jobs were terminated not through meetings or discussions, but via a brief, impersonal email sent at around 6 am. Globally, the company has laid off nearly 30,000 employees, with India accounting for a significant share of the cuts.
The email, signed "Oracle Leadership," informed employees that their roles had been eliminated with immediate effect as part of a "broader organisational change," clearly stating that the day the message was received would be their last working day. The communication quickly spread across platforms such as X and Reddit, where affected employees confirmed the layoffs in real time, with many describing the experience as cold and deeply dehumanising.
What drew the strongest reaction was not just the scale of the layoffs but the manner in which they were executed. There was noprior communication from HR,no conversation with direct managers, and no advance notice. Soon after the email was sent, employees lost access to company systems, including email, files, and computer logins. At the same time, they were required to urgently submit a personal email address through a linked form to receive severance-related information, failing which they risked missing critical communication altogether.
The layoffs have had a particularly severe impact in India, where the 12,000 job cuts represent nearly 40 per cent of Oracle's estimated 30,000-strong workforce in the country. This makes it potentially one of the largest single-day white-collar layoffs in India's corporate history. Globally, the job cuts account for roughly 18 per cent of Oracle's workforce, according to estimates by TD Cowen. Reports indicate that a second round of layoffs could follow within a month.
The termination email outlined the process in a highly structured but impersonal manner, informing employees that they would be eligible for severance subject to certain terms and conditions, with further details to be shared via DocuSign sent to their official email addresses. However, with system access being revoked almost immediately, many employees were left scrambling to ensure they received the necessary information.
The mass layoffs are part of Oracle's aggressivepush into artificial intelligence infrastructure. The company is reportedly investing around $156 billion in AI data centres, a strategy that requires freeing up between $8 billion and $10 billion in cash flow. Workforce reductions are expected to play a key role in achieving this, according to analysis by TD Cowen.
Affected employees in India are being offered a severance package that includes compensation based on years of service, along with additional payouts and benefits. However, reports suggest that these benefits are conditional on employees agreeing to resign voluntarily and amicably, adding another layer of complexity to an already distressing situation.
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