Oracle slashes 30k jobs with a cold 6 a.m. email

Summary

It was not a phone call. It was not a meeting. For thousands of Oracle employees across the globe, Tuesday morning began with a single email landing in their inboxes just after 6 a.m. EST — and by the time they finished reading it, their careers at one of the world’s largest technology companies were over. Oracle has launched what analysts believe could be the most extensive layoff in the company’s history, with estimates suggesting the cuts will affect between 20,000 and 30,000 employees — roughly 18% of its global workforce of approximately 162,000 people. Workers in the United States, India, and other regions all reported receiving the same termination notice at nearly the same hour, sent under the name “Oracle Leadership.” There was no heads-up from human resources, no conversation with a direct manager, and no advance notice of any kind. Just an email. The message that ended thousands of jobs The email that circulated widely after screenshots were posted by affected workers on Reddit’s r/employeesOfOracle community and the professional forum Blind was brief and formulaic. It told employees that following a review of the company’s current business needs, a decision had been made to eliminate their roles as part of a broader organizational change, that the day of the email was their final working day, and that a severance package would be made available after signing termination paperwork through DocuSign. Employees were also instructed to update their personal email addresses to receive subsequent communications, including separation details and answers to frequently asked questions. For many, access to internal production systems was revoked almost immediately after the message arrived. Which teams were hit hardest Based on accounts shared across both Reddit and Blind, the cuts were widespread and, in some units, severe. Among the teams reported to be most affected: RHS (Revenue and Health Sciences) — employees described a reduction in force of at least 30%, wi...