Salesforce is reportedly set to lay off 700 employees, around one percent of its global staff.
The Wall Street Journal reported the news late this week as the latest in the dispiriting pattern of tech layoffs in 2024. It also follows Salesforce laying off over 10 percent of its staff last year.
The Journal cited an anonymous source who said the layoffs are supposed to support the company's ambition to focus its spending.
The Wall Street Journal highlighted that Salesforce was still advertising for roughly 1,000 new jobs, indicating the layoffs could be facilitated by a regular headcount adjustment rather than a reactive response to ongoing economic uncertainty.
Salesforce isn't the only tech giant carrying out layoffs in 2024. Google has already let 1,000 employees go, while The Verge has reported that Google's CEO Sundar Pichai has told staff to expect further layoffs as 2024 progresses. Microsoft let go 1,900 workers from its gaming branches this week, while Amazon began the month announcing it would cut 18,000 jobs from across its businesses.
Salesforce 2023 Layoffs
Salesforce began last January by laying off around 8,000 workers, around 10 percent of its staff.
Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff took responsibility for the layoffs. "As our revenue accelerated through the pandemic, we hired too many people leading into this economic downturn we’re now facing, and I take responsibility for that," Benioff said. The changes resulted from an overarching, large-scale restructuring, which Salesforce anticipated would cost between $1.4-2.1 billion.
