微软CEO萨提亚·纳德拉。图片来源：Hannes P Albert/picture alliance—Getty Images
• 微软、IBM、谷歌裁员数千人，专家解析背后动机。
2025年刚过了一半，各大公司就已经裁员数千人，微软、谷歌、Meta、IBM、普华永道和Chegg等巨头都出现了大规模裁员。
很多人认为，这波裁员的罪魁祸首是AI，因为AI正在抢走人们的饭碗。不过专家表示，实际情况要比这更复杂。这些公司实际上是在腾出资金，用于招聘AI相关人才。当然，对于那些丢掉饭碗的人来说，这听起来好像没有什么区别。不过专家表示，这些公司也确实有必要在AI领域投下重注。所以我们也可以说，这些公司一边在裁员，一边正在招募新型人才。但是这些做出裁员决定的CEO们的表态则更直观也更悲观，他们坦承，AI就是在抢走白领工人的饭碗。
微软的AI计划
微软是今年裁员最狠的公司之一，今年5月份裁员近6000人，7月份又裁员9000人，裁员总数已接近其全球员工总数的 4%。
微软CEO萨提亚·纳德拉最近在公开场合谈到了微软在AI时代的转型之路。他透路，目前微软有20%到30%的代码都是由AI编写的。今年微软调整了资源配置，投入800亿美元搞AI基建，这不禁让很多人担忧，未来市场是不是还需要人类的程序员和计算机工程师了。
财务战略与重组
门洛风投的迪迪·达斯等行业专家认为，上述这些科技公司的裁员潮，并非单纯的是因为AI在取代人类劳动者，而更多的是因为这些公司在为AI腾出资金。
科技评论员韦斯·罗斯也表达了类似的观点。他表示：“这还不是AI取代人类的问题，而是整个行业在调整和重组，以便为AI项目腾出资金。”微软的这种做法，整个行业都在跟进，包括亚马逊在内的多家公司都在精简管理层级，并且开始更加重视技术岗位而非行政岗位。
达斯和罗斯并未回应我们的置评请求。
随着AI工具能够完成越来越多的日常行政工作，IBM的人力资源等行政部门已经裁员了8000人。但与此同时，IBM还在招聘更多的工程师和销售人员，这表示公司仍然需要更多需要创造性和复杂决策能力的人才。
谷歌和Meta也进行了大规模裁员，其中Meta在年初裁掉了3600名员工，谷歌裁掉了Android、Pixel和Chrome团队的数百个岗位。这两家公司都表示，裁员的主要目的是精简运营和加大对AI的投资。
普华永道和在线教育平台Chegg也加入了裁员潮，普华永道裁员约1500人。而由于现在用免费AI学习工具的学生越来越多了，Chegg也裁员了22%。
这些公司怎么说
随着AI在企业经营中扮演着越来越重要的地位，这些科技公司也在重新定义“生产力”的意义。今年以来，各大科技公司的CEO和所谓的思想领袖们都在大谈AI正在如何重塑他们的行业。他们表示，有些工作肯定会被AI彻底取代。当然，这些工作是否真的会被永久淘汰，目前还有争议。
Meta公司的马克·扎克伯格表示，在写代码上，AI今年就将具备“不逊于一个中级工程师”的水平。安迪·贾西也表示，未来亚马逊对“当下从事某些工作的人的需求将会减少。”而福特公司的吉姆·法利和Anthropic公司的达里奥·阿莫迪都认为，AI将取代近一半的白领岗位。
当然，也并非所有人的看法都是悲观的。比尔·盖茨认为，随着AI有能力处理大多数任务，一个“免费智能”的时代即将到来。英伟达的黄仁勋也表示，“AI将改变每个人的工作方式——它已经改变了我的工作方式”。不过对于今年被裁员的人们来说，他们目前能做的也就只有观望和等待了。
《财富》用AI工具完成了本文初稿，并在发表前由真人编辑校对了信息的准确性。（财富中文网）
译者：朴成奎
• As tech giants including Microsoft, IBM, and Google shed thousands of workers, experts weigh in on the motivations behind the layoffs.
Six months into 2025, the tech industry has seen thousands of layoffs as giants such as Microsoft, Google, Meta, IBM, PwC, and Chegg Inc. make sweeping cuts.
While AI replacing humans is often cited as the culprit, experts say the reality is more complex: these companies are freeing up capital to hire AI instead. It may seem like a neat distinction—and will undoubtedly be cold comfort to those who lost their jobs—but these experts say that these companies need the funds to make big bets on AI. In part, they’re hiring a new workforce. The tech CEOs who are making the layoff decisions are largely offering a darker worldview, confirming that automation is coming for the white-collar workforce.
Microsoft‘s AI ambitions
Microsoft has been at the center of this year’s layoff wave, letting go of nearly 6,000 employees in May, followed by another 9,000 in July—amounting to almost 4% of its global workforce.
CEO Satya Nadella has openly discussed the company’s AI transformation, revealing that AI now writes 20% to 30% of Microsoft’s code. This shift has sparked debate about the future need for human engineers, as the company reallocates resources to fund an $80 billion AI infrastructure push this year.
Financial strategy and restructuring
Industry experts like Deedy Das of Menlo Ventures argue that the layoffs are less about AI replacing workers and more about freeing up capital for AI investments.
Tech commentator Wes Roth echoed the sentiment: “This isn’t about AI replacing humans yet—it’s about restructuring to fund AI initiatives.” Microsoft’s approach is mirrored across the sector, with companies including Amazon flattening management layers and prioritizing technical roles over administrative ones.
Das and Roth did not respond to requests for comment.
IBM has cut around 8,000 jobs in HR and other departments, as AI tools take over routine administrative tasks. However, the company is simultaneously hiring more engineers and salespeople, signaling a shift toward roles that require creativity and complex decision-making.
Google and Meta have also made significant cuts, with Meta laying off 3,600 employees at the start of the year and Google reducing hundreds of roles in its Android, Pixel, and Chrome teams. Both companies cite the need to streamline operations and invest in AI as key reasons.
PwC and Chegg Inc. have joined the layoff trend, with PwC cutting approximately 1,500 jobs and Chegg reducing its workforce by 22% as students increasingly turn to free AI-powered study tools.
What they’re saying
As AI becomes more central to business operations, tech companies are redefining what productivity means. Tech CEOs and thought leaders have been outspoken this year about how AI is reshaping their sector with the unambiguous message that at least some jobs are being fundamentally displaced. There is still a debate about whether they are being eliminated for good.
Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg said AI could be ready this year to “effectively be a sort of mid-level engineer,” capable of writing code. Andy Jassy said Amazon “will need fewer people doing some of the jobs that are being done today,” while Ford’s Jim Farley and Anthropic’s Dario Amodei separately predicted that AI is set to displace essentially half of all white-collar positions.
It’s not all doomsday predictions. Bill Gates see an era of “free intelligence” coming as AI will become capable of handling most tasks. Nvidia’s Jensen Huang said AI will “change everyone’s job — it’s changed mine.” The thousands of tech workers that have been laid off so far in 2025 are watching and waiting.
For this story, Fortune used generative AI to help with an initial draft. An editor verified the accuracy of the information before publishing.