The tracker updated this morning. In the first five and a half months of this year, 267 companies announced significant layoffs. One hundred and fifty of those — 56 per cent — cited artificial intelligence or automation as a contributing factor. That accounts for 156,270 individual workers. The average across the year works out to 1,087 job losses per day.
The single largest event was Oracle's cut of 30,000 employees in March. Meta followed with 15,000 in May, a reorganisation its leadership described explicitly as a pivot toward AI. Dell, Amazon, Nokia, Cisco, PayPal — the list reads like a directory of established technology companies trimming human headcount to fund machine capability. CBS News reported in May that the visible layoffs are only part of the picture; the quieter effect is weaker hiring, particularly for junior and entry-level positions that companies believe AI can now handle.
A separate tracker by Kai-Daddy puts the total even higher — over 217,000 jobs lost to AI-related decisions since mid-last year. Forbes reported that Gartner expects half of the companies conducting AI-driven layoffs right now to begin rehiring for similar roles within 18 months, having discovered that full automation of complex human work rarely delivers what the spreadsheet promised.
The pattern is not subtle. Large companies are betting that AI can replace entire departments. The early evidence suggests many of those bets will partially fail, creating a cycle of cuts, capability gaps, and costly rehiring.
What does this mean for the business owner who cannot afford a dedicated AI team? It means the replacement model — firing staff and hoping software fills the gap — is the wrong approach. The businesses getting lasting value from AI are the ones using it to extend what their existing people can accomplish, not to eliminate those people from the payroll.
Viktor is built on that principle. It is an AI co-worker, not a replacement worker. Viktor runs on Claude, GPT-4, and Gemini — all three included in a single credit balance, with the platform selecting the right model for each task automatically. It does actual work inside your tools, not just conversation.
A three-person marketing team can hand Viktor the research, drafting, and formatting work that would otherwise require a fourth hire. An operations manager dealing with vendor communications across multiple time zones can have Viktor monitor, prioritise, and draft responses overnight. A founder managing finances, content, and client work simultaneously can delegate the administrative layers to Viktor and keep the strategic decisions where they belong — with a human.
The companies cutting 156,270 jobs are making a bet that machines can do what their people did. History says about half of them will discover otherwise. The companies augmenting their existing teams are making an investment in capacity they can actually keep. The difference matters, and it shows up fastest in small businesses where every person already wears three hats.
You get $100 of free credits to begin — no credit card, no time limit, no commitment. Explore Viktor properly. Do real work. When you are ready to go further, $50 comes straight off your first bill.
Disclosure: Some links in this article are affiliate links. If you choose to get started with Viktor using the links provided, I may receive a commission — at no additional cost to you. I only recommend tools I use and believe in.