Not Only Mass Layoffs at IBM But Complete Shutdowns "Amid A.I. Boom"

posted by Roy Schestowitz on Nov 05, 2025,
updated Nov 05, 2025

The IBM layoffs are even bigger than we thought. Aside from staff being pushed out (to make it seem voluntary) there are profound organisational changes and some media coverage [1-8] (at long last) tries to blame this on "AI". There are over 20,000 views here and some folks who write about "IBM layoff" say "our group lost 33%". Another comment said: "The register just published targets of 45% in infrastructure and 50% in cloud. Don’t know where they sourced this from, but if true Power and non-mainframe cloud are in the bullseye..."

Those who speak of "IBM laying off "low single digits"" say "3% of 275,000 is approx another 9,000. Ouch." (Citing this article)

Not counting those who got pushed out.

One particular thread about Texas:

Dallas, Tx | Cloud Platform Team RA’d

In Dallas, Texas IBM laid off the entire Cloud Platform Team (i.e., developers, software engineers, etc.), including the manager.

The comments say: "Why not? What is the IBM Cloud? Barely a 2% market share or less?"

And jokingly: "IBM will replace the Cloud platform team with the AI Quantum team."

So apparently about 10,000 layoffs, not counting those who got pushed out by PIPs and other means. █

Related/contextual items from the news:

1. IBM Reportedly Trimming Workforce in November Amid Ongoing AI Push

   Samfiru Tumarkin LLP is investigating reports that International Business Machines (IBM) is slashing a significant amount of its workforce as the tech giant continues to invest in artificial intelligence (AI).

   According to posts on The Layoff, some individuals have allegedly been offered “3 months [of] severance and other benefits” after meeting with their manager.

2. Architects, Engineers Among The IBM Employees Targeted In Latest Layoffs

   IBM has confirmed that it plans to lay off thousands of employees this quarter, with employees working on artificial intelligence, marketing, software engineering and cloud technology among the LinkedIn social media network users confirming that they have been cut from the tech giant.

   The Armonk, N.Y.-based vendor of AI, hybrid cloud and other technologies is targeting a low single-digit percent of its global workforce, which numbered about 270,000 people at the end of 2024, a spokesperson told CRN in an email.

3. IBM cutting several thousand jobs in latest layoffs

   IBM this week began notifying several thousand employees that they will be laid off, according to sources familiar with the matter.

   These Resource Action (RA) notifications tell staff that they have 30 days to find another position within the company or they will be let go, with a few months of severance pay. Most of those on notice will not find new positions and will leave the company.

   We've heard from insiders and former employees that the target headcount reduction is about 45 percent within IBM's US infrastructure group.

   Another source said more than 50 percent of IBM's US Cloud group – which is part of the Infrastructure organization under SVP Ric Lewis – is expected to be let go.

4. IBM layoffs: Tech giant to cut thousands of roles amid focus on software growth — Who will get affected?

   IBM layoffs: International Business Machines Corp is set to cut jobs in the fourth quarter to focus on software and service. Some US workers may be affected by the job reduction.

5. IBM to Cut Thousands of Workers Amid A.I. Boom

   The technology supplier said it was shifting its focus to higher-growth businesses, including A.I. consulting and software.

6. IBM cutting thousands of jobs in the fourth quarter

   IBM said Tuesday that it will lay off a small percentage of its employees in the current quarter.

7. IBM to Layoff Thousands of Employees Before End of Year

   IBM announced Tuesday it would be laying off thousands of employees before the end of the year.

   The job losses will amount to a “low single-digit percentage” of the global workforce. For a 1 percent cut, that would mean the loss of 2,700 jobs.

8. IBM Plans to Lay Off Thousands of Workers This Quarter, Shares Fall

   So far this year, IBM’s stock has rallied thanks to strong investor interest in its growing software business. This momentum comes from IBM’s acquisitions of companies like Red Hat and HashiCorp. In addition, CEO Arvind Krishna has been pushing the software unit to become IBM’s biggest division, especially since the consulting side of the company has faced slower growth due to economic worries among customers.

   It is worth noting that at the end of 2024, IBM had about 270,000 workers around the world. While the job cuts may impact some U.S.-based employees, the company expects that its total number of U.S. workers will stay roughly the same as last year. This suggests that the layoffs are part of a targeted restructuring strategy rather than widespread job reductions. Nevertheless, IBM shares are down at the time of writing.