Oracle layoffs not random? Ex-employee says algorithm targeted top talent with equity

The latest round of layoffs at Oracle is drawing attention not just for its scale, but also for the way some former employees believe the cuts were carried out. A viral LinkedIn post by a long-time employee has added a new layer to the conversation, suggesting that the layoffs may not have been as random as they seemed. Nina Lewis, who spent over three decades at Oracle and most recently worked as a Security Alert Manager, shared her experience in a post that quickly gained traction online.

Her message struck a chord with many, especially those who were also affected. "Well, after 34 (33 of them great) years at Oracle, I join the 30,000 or so laid off today. Quite a shock. Many of the absolute best colleagues were laid off as well," she wrote.

What grabbed attention in her post was her observation about how the layoffs may have been decided. "It seems layoffs follow an algorithm of high level individual contributors and mid-level managers - especially those with outstanding stock options," Lewis added, hinting that employees with higher compensation or equity might have been prioritised.

Her post has since been echoed by several others who also lost their jobs this week. Across LinkedIn, hundreds of employees, ranging from those with just over a year of experience to veterans with more than a decade at the company, have been sharing similar updates, with many now actively looking for new roles.

Oracle layoffs impacted 5 different teams, firing about 30,000 employees

The layoffs appear to have impacted multiple teams across Oracle, including Oracle Health, Sales, Cloud, Customer Success, and NetSuite. One employee called Kurt Frieden, who had worked as a Consulting Member of Technical Staff in Cloud Commerce, also took to LinkedIn to show availability for new opportunities. He spent around 18 years at the company, confirmed his exit in a brief but candid post. "I just got laid off from Oracle today, so now is a good time to announce my retirement! It's been a great 18 years. Please reach out if you were also part of this latest RIF," he wrote.

Another former employee, Marc Fitten, described the layoffs as both sudden and emotionally difficult. “Hi! I've been laid off by Oracle....along with 29,999 other people if the reports are to be believed. Who knows what's real anymore? I can tell you it was a lot of good and smart people,” he wrote, adding that it was disappointing not to have had a proper goodbye with colleagues.

The timing of the layoffs also caught many off guard. According to Business Insider, employees began receiving termination emails as early as 6 AM on Tuesday. The email, sent by Oracle leadership, informed employees that their roles had been eliminated with immediate effect as part of a "broader organisational change."

“As a result, today is your last working day,” the email stated, while also outlining next steps related to severance and access termination. Employees were asked to provide a personal email address to receive further communication, as access to internal systems would soon be revoked.

While the exact number of layoffs has not been officially confirmed, several LinkedIn posts and sources of Business Insider claim the figure is as high as 30,000. Oracle had around 162,000 full-time employees as of May 2025, according to its latest filings.

The developments at Oracle come at a time when large technology companies continue to trim their workforce. Amazon had earlier announced plans to cut around 16,000 corporate roles this year, while Meta has also been laying off employees in multiple rounds after reducing thousands of jobs over the past few years. The major reason that every other tech company is giving for layoffs is saving costs for business requirements, but then we also see reports about these companies investing billions in AI. While there are a few companies that believe AI will create different types of jobs, only time will tell if that happens.

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