AI layoffs this week: May 11, 2026 – May 17, 2026

The largest event of the week was Cisco, with 4,000 roles cut (Alongside its fiscal-Q3 results on May 13 (record revenue of $15.84bn, up 12%), Cisco announced it would cut about 4,000 roles (~5%), with notifications from May 14 and the reduction completed by end-July. CFO Mark Patterson said 'this was really not a savings-driven restructure' and that Cisco is realigning resources around silicon, optics, security and AI, as investment shifts into AI; CEO Chuck Robbins echoed the AI-investment shift. Some coverage notes higher memory-chip costs as a parallel pressure. Logged mixed: an AI-led realignment rather than a pure cost cut.). Across the week, cuts touched technology.

Every figure below links to its company timeline and public source. Attribution labels follow the methodology.