Salesforce Layoffs: Tech giant trims 300 jobs amid restructuring efforts

Marc Benioff, CEO Salesforce

Salesforce, a prominent leader in cloud-based software solutions, has implemented significant workforce reductions, affecting approximately 300 employees in July.

This decision aligns with the company’s ongoing efforts to optimize its structure and drive growth.

According to reports from Bloomberg, the software giant made these cuts this month.

“Like any healthy business, we continuously assess whether we have the right structure in place to best serve our customers and fuel growth areas. In some cases, that leads to roles being eliminated.” A spokesperson for Salesforce commented.

The company did not specify which departments or regions were most affected by the cuts, though it is reported that fewer than 10 positions in Ireland were impacted.

This layoff follows Salesforce’s earlier workforce reductions this year, which saw 700 employees laid off, along with a 10% cut in its workforce at the start of 2023. These previous cuts resulted in around 200 job losses in the company’s Irish branch, with an additional 50 roles being eliminated later in the year.

At the end of January, Salesforce employed over 72,682 people globally. Despite these layoffs, the company has indicated a strategic focus on hiring in critical areas to boost revenue, particularly around its Data Cloud product, while maintaining a vigilant approach to expenses.

“Are we getting the most from everybody in the business – if we’re not, we’re going to have to make reshaping decisions,” said Brian Millham, Salesforce’s chief operating officer, during a June investor conference.

Unending tech layoffs

Salesforce’s recent workforce reduction is part of a broader trend within the tech industry, which has seen numerous companies announcing major job cuts in an effort to control costs following years of rapid expansion. Several large tech companies have announced significant reductions this month alone:

Intuit Inc.: Known for financial and accounting software revealed plans to cut 10% of its workforce, affecting 1,800 employees. About 1,050 of these reductions were attributed to performance issues, with Intuit planning to rehire in other areas.

UiPath Inc.: A developer of automation software, UiPath announced it would lay off 10% of its workforce, equating to about 420 jobs, as part of a broader restructuring. Most of these layoffs will be implemented by the end of the first quarter of fiscal 2026. Following the announcement, UiPath shares dropped about 7%, closing at $11.93, and have lost more than half their value this year.

OpenText Corp: OpenText, a leader in information management solutions, disclosed plans to cut approximately 1,200 jobs, around 1.7% of its workforce, as part of its new business optimization plan. The layoffs will cost the company nearly C$60 million ($44.01 million) but are expected to reduce expenses by C$150 million in 2025. OpenText plans to reinvest C$50 million annually in 800 new roles in sales and engineering to support growth and innovation.

Microsoft: Known globally for its software products and services, Microsoft has been cutting hundreds of employees from its Azure cloud business. These layoffs impacted teams including Azure for Operators and Mission Engineering, with sources estimating up to 1,500 job cuts in Azure for Operators alone.

Unacademy: An Indian edtech giant layed off about 250 employees, including 100 people in marketing, business, and product, and 150 in sales. Since the second half of 2022, Unacademy has laid off about 2,000 employees as schools reopened post-pandemic.

In total, there have been 4,306 layoffs in the tech industry in July 2024. So far this year, more than 100,900 workers have been laid off across 356 tech companies, according to tracking website Layoffs.fyi.