Oracle Layoffs: 710 California Jobs Cut

Oracle is laying off 710 employees across California, effective by June 1, 2026, as part of broader reductions reportedly in the thousands globally.

California Layoffs Detailed

Oracle Corp. has announced layoffs affecting 710 employees across California, according to state filings. The cuts include 318 workers in Redwood City, 184 in Santa Clara, 158 in Pleasanton, and 50 in Santa Monica. The layoffs are effective by June 1, 2026.

Affected workers are located at 500 Oracle Parkway in Redwood City, part of the company's former headquarters; 4230 Leonard Stocking Dr. in Santa Clara; and 5815 Owens Dr. in Pleasanton.

Broader Reductions

The total number of layoffs at Oracle is not known but is reportedly in the thousands. The cuts also include 491 workers in Seattle. The company had 162,000 global employees as of May 2025.

Financial Context

Oracle's stock is down nearly 27% since January. Last month, the company reported strong earnings, with revenue up 22% to over $17 billion in the fiscal third quarter ending Feb. 28, compared to the prior year. Oracle also reported a 95% increase in net income last quarter to $6.13 billion.

The company is investing heavily in artificial intelligence infrastructure, with $50 billion in capital expenditures planned for the current fiscal year. It has also taken on more than $100 billion in debt to finance the buildout.

Industry Trends

The layoffs come as tech giants like Meta, Google, and Amazon have also cut jobs this year, even as they invest billions in artificial intelligence. Unemployment rates rose around the Bay Area in January, including in San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties. Amid a heavy deficit, 127 San Francisco government workers are being laid off as well.

Employee Reactions and Allegations

A former Oracle employee accused the company of targeting workers with outstanding stock options in the recent layoffs. Nina Lewis, a 30-year Oracle veteran, wrote on LinkedIn that she was laid off after 30+ years and speculated that layoffs might follow an algorithm targeting high-level individual contributors and mid-level managers, especially those with outstanding stock options. She later clarified that she had no specific inside knowledge of any layoff algorithm but that rumors among employees appeared to match a possible pattern.

Other former employees voiced similar suspicions on workplace forums, with some claiming they were laid off shortly before upcoming vesting dates. Laid-off employees immediately forfeited their unvested stock, though their vested stock remained accessible, according to Marketwise.

Oracle senior manager Michael Shepherd wrote on LinkedIn that the layoffs were not performance-based, stating that the company lost some of its most experienced and critical people.

Oracle declined to comment.

Executive Compensation

Oracle recently named Hilary Maxson as its new chief financial officer. Her compensation package includes a $26 million stock package on top of her $950,000 annual base salary, according to Marketwise. Maxson, 48, previously served as executive vice president and led finance at Schneider Electric. She is Oracle's first CFO since 2014, when Safra Catz took on the roles of both CEO and main financial officer.

Analyst Predictions

Analysts at investment bank TD Cowen predicted earlier this year that Oracle could cut up to 30,000 workers and sell some assets amid a push to finance AI infrastructure projects. They said those layoffs could free up $8 to $10 billion in cash flow.

The cuts come as Oracle filed for about 3,126 petitions to employ H-1B workers in fiscal years 2025 and 2026, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services data.

Oracle Cuts 710 California Jobs as Tech Layoffs Continue