- The number of layoffs in the U.S. this year has surged past 1 million, new data shows
- Several telecom and tech giants have been among those letting workers go
- Fierce tallied up where things stood in terms of layoffs and headcount as of this week
The U.S. job market is sailing through rough seas at the moment. Cuts for the full year have surged past the 1 million mark and the month of October saw the highest number of layoffs in 20 years, according to new data from career change firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas.
So, what does this mean for telecom and tech employees? Well, we took a look at some of the biggest players to provide a rundown of where cuts have happened and how these giants are thinking about headcount moving forward.
Alphabet
Alphabet went through a large, painful round of cuts in 2023, but so far this year has only sporadically trimmed around the edges. Reported cuts this year include around 100 workers in its Cloud division and employee buyout offers that have been ongoing since the start of the year.
Fierce found California WARN notices filed for around 52 layoffs in February, another 50 in May, and 50 more in September. The cuts to the Cloud unit were reported on October 1. It is not clear whether that report undercounted the layoffs or whether some or all of the layoffs in the WARN notices were for another business segment.
Despite these reductions, the company’s headcount at the end of Q3 stood at 190,167, a figure that was actually up from 183,323 at the end of 2024.
Amazon
Amazon ended 2024 with 1,556,000 employees and as of the end of Q3 2024 actually had increased its headcount to 1,578,000. But that figure is set to be slashed significantly.
Just before its Q3 earnings call, reports began circulating that Amazon planned to cut 30,000 employees from its roster. On October 28, Amazon SVP Beth Galetti confirmed in a published memo it would slash at least 14,000 workers from its corporate headcount.
Asked about its headcount strategy during an earnings call two days later, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said the planned cuts were “not really financially driven and it’s not even really AI-driven, not right now at least.” Instead, he said Amazon had simply grown too quickly over the past few years and ended up with too many layers (i.e. people) that have weakened employee ownership of projects and prevented the company from moving as fast as it needs to.
“We are committed to operating like the world's largest start-up,” Jassy said. “And that means removing layers.”
Whether that translates to additional cuts beyond the 14,000 confirmed remains to be seen.
AT&T
AT&T hasn’t announced any major layoffs in 2025 (though we found a smattering of WARN notices covering around 215 workers), but its headcount has dropped by more than 5,000 in the first three months of 2025. The operator ended 2024 with 140,990 employees and Q3 2025 with just 135,700.
One factor at play could be the operator’s five-day return-to-office mandate which took effect in January. In August, CEO John Stankey unceremoniously told employees unhappy with the change to seek alternative employment.
The headcount issue was not broached on the company’s Q3 earnings call.
Charter
Layoffs are coming at Charter as well. The company ended 2024 with a headcount of 94,500, down from 101,100 at the end of 2023. An operator representative declined to provide an updated figure for the close of Q3 2025, but late last month reports broke that Charter is planning to slash around 1,200 jobs. Those cuts follow Charter’s decision to slash 171 jobs in California and close two call centers in Ohio and Massachusetts in a move that cut another 400.
Executives did not discuss the latest batch of cuts on the operator’s earnings call in October.
Comcast
Job cuts also appear to be happening at Comcast. Reports began circulating in September that the company planned to lay off an unspecified number of workers in its Connectivity & Platforms division. Those reports were followed by WARN notices in October indicating that a total of around 540 employees in Georgia and Colorado would be laid off.
President and soon-to-be co-CEO Mike Cavanaugh didn’t directly address the rumored changes but stated during a Q3 earnings call that the company has “streamlined our organizational structure to better align with our strategy” and has “reduced management layers.”
It is not clear whether Comcast is planning additional layoffs. As of the end of 2024, Comcast had 182,000 employees. The company declined to provide an updated figure for the end of Q3 2025.
Microsoft
It’s been a rocky year for Microsoft employees. The company announced plans to lay off about 1% of its workforce (or around 2,200 employees) in January and followed up with an even larger cut in May (6,000 roles). Microsoft ended its fiscal year 2025 in June with the same number of employees it had had the year prior: 228,000.
But in July, Microsoft brought down the axe again, cutting another 9,000 roles.
Speaking on a podcast that aired October 31, 2025, CEO Satya Nadella said Microsoft will grow its headcount again – eventually. Nadella indicated that AI isn’t stealing jobs but changing the way teams need to be structured internally to operate at maximum efficiency. Once that’s worked out – which he said will happen over the next year or so – then “the headcount growth will come with max leverage.”
T-Mobile
T-Mobile this year let go of 131 workers in King County, Washington and axed UScellular’s entire staff of 4,100 following its acquisition of assets from the regional telco.
It wasn’t exactly clear where T-Mobile’s headcount stood as of the end of Q3 (we’ll update this story if we hear back from T-Mo), but as of the end of 2024 it had 70,000 employees.
Verizon
Go figure but Verizon’s headcount has actually increased in 2025, from 99,600 at the end of 2024 to 100,200 as of the end of Q3. That marks a stunning reversal from a long-term decline in Verizon’s employee base, but it could be short-lived.
New CEO Dan Schulman said during Q3 earnings the company plans to “aggressively” reduce its “cost base.” Though it wasn’t explicitly stated, such restructuring usually includes job cuts.
“We will be a simpler, leaner and scrappier business. This work is overdue and will be multi-year and an ongoing way of life for us,” he said.
Already, rumors have begun circulating online that a round of major layoffs and store closures is coming later this month, with an anonymous source telling Fierce the operator's 5G Acceleration team could take a serious hit. Verizon told Fierce "We don't comment on rumors or speculation."
For more detail about layoffs across the tech and telecom landscape, check out our 2025 Layoff Tracker here.