Oracle cuts thousands of jobs to fund AI data centers as stock rises amid restructuring push

Oracle believed to have cut 10,000 positions across multiple divisions as mass layoffs begin to fuel AI investments -- company is reportedly reducing headcount to fund data centers

Is the company looking to save on salary costs to pour more money into AI? Oracle has reportedly begun mass layoffs based on reports by various people who worked at the company. According to the BBC, one employee noted that around 10,000 positions have been affected based on the number of active staff accounts in the firm's Slack messaging system so far. Other people from across the company have also made posts about the situation on social media, like LinkedIn. "Today, Oracle conducted a significant reduction in force that impacted some of the most talented, dedicated, and high-performing people I've had the privilege of working alongside," Michael Shepherd, a Senior Operations Manager at Oracle, said on LinkedIn. "Let me be direct: this was not a performance action. The individuals affected were not let go because of anything they did or didn't do. Many of them are the people you call when something is truly broken, the ones who show up early, stay late, and carry institutional knowledge that took years to build." The company has not released a comment about its global reduction in force at the time of writing, but there have been reports that it would axe thousands of positions and freeze hiring earlier in March. Rumors say that the cloud infrastructure firm is culling its numbers after investing billions of dollars on hardware and betting big on AI. However, this much spending means that the company is expected to be in the red until 2030. It's rumored that many of the affected employees will be replaced by AI, a disturbing trend after Microsoft's AI boss said that AI can replace every white-collar job in 18 months. Oracle isn't the only one that's been cutting employee numbers in recent months, with Dutch chip equipment maker ASML laying off 1,700 management workers and EA reducing headcount in Battlefield-related studios. Meta has not laid off employees yet, but there have been rumors that the company is reducing employee bonuses for the second time in a row as it spends billions on AI hardware and talent. This isn't the only problem that Oracle is currently facing. Earlier this year, some of its bondholders sued the company for misleading statements after it borrowed $38 billion two months after releasing $18 billion of notes and bonds in September 2025. There have also been reports of disagreements between OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank regarding who should have the ultimate control of the Stargate project, with the planned 600MW expansion at the Abilene, Texas, campus getting scrapped. These AI-driven layoffs are sounding disturbing for the average worker, especially as many industry experts and company leaders have been warning about the disruption that AI will bring to the job market. However, OpenAI boss Sam Altman said that companies are just using 'AI washing' as an excuse for these job cuts that they would have otherwise done anyway. But whether this is true or not, it gives little comfort to the affected Oracle employees, especially during these uncertain times. Follow Tom's Hardware on Google News, or add us as a preferred source, to get our latest news, analysis, & reviews in your feeds.

Recently laid-off Oracle worker says AI is coming for jobs

WARN filings in two states show 1,000+ layoffs, but wider cuts remain unconfirmed By his third failed attempt to log into Oracle's VPN on Tuesday morning, a decades-long employee of the company started to get a bad feeling. When Slack stopped responding too, the feeling got worse. Then he checked his email and discovered that he was one of the estimated thousands of Oracle employees who had received a message saying that their services were no longer required. "Basically it said 'Thank you. Go (expletive) yourself,'" he told The Register. The Register is not identifying the employee since he fears that publicly discussing his termination could adversely affect a separation package that he has not yet received any information about. Oracle has not commented on the number of workers it laid off on Tuesday. It declined to comment to The Register on Tuesday and Wednesday. It was AI, the decades-long Oracle employee said, that took his job and it will take more jobs. But he said AI's ability to replace humans is limited to the companies that can incorporate it into workflows, which he only sees happening at large enterprises. "It's not coming for the entire American economy," he said. "It will come for the big guys. You need to have solid orchestration and automation in place and, in the end, you still need to tell it what to do, for now." Oracle cut at least 491 jobs in Washington, according to a WARN notice filed in that state, which said all laid off workers would be separated by June 1. In a 31-page attachment, it listed the jobs cut. Many were software developers and project managers. In Missouri, 539 Oracle workers were cut in Kansas City, according to a WARN notice filed there. Those layoffs accounted for more than half of the state's 1,021 jobs lost so far this year. The cuts appear to be part of Oracle's fiscal 2026 restructuring plan, first valued at up to $1.6 billion in September 2025 and later raised to $2.1 billion in March. Oracle recorded $415 million in restructuring expense in the same quarter Bloomberg reported layoffs in its cloud division. It is not clear how many workers were affected on Tuesday, though a screenshot and Reddit posts purporting to show internal Slack user counts suggested a drop of about 10,000 overnight. The cuts echo a TD Cowen forecast earlier this year, when the investment bank questioned how Oracle would finance its expanding AI datacenter buildout and suggested headcount reductions could reach 20,000 to 30,000. "I'm not surprised. It's corporate America," the longtime Oracle worker told The Register. "I wasn't lured in by the high salaries or the great benefits. The benefits were great. But I'm someone who carries my laptop with me all the time and, if there is a problem that I'm working on, I don't care if it is the weekend or Christmas, I'm going to work on that problem until it's solved." That initiative had carried him through his decades at Oracle as he saw the company grow exponentially from its roots in the database to embrace cloud and now become an important piece of the AI fabric that is taking over technology. He said as Oracle grew, he watched his own fortunes grow with it. "I've been Uncle Larry's biggest fan," he said, referring to Oracle cofounder, chairman, and CTO Larry Ellison. "I've seen stories about toxic work culture, but I never experienced it." He said he wasn't upset that he didn't get a phone call to deliver the bad news. "When you are cutting that many people, it sort of makes sense," he said. "I'm glad I'm near the end of my career and I don't have kids to worry about." ®

Oracle stock rises in premarket on plans to cut thousands of jobs

Oracle Corp. signage on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, US, on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. Oracle rose in premarket trading on Wednesday as the multinational tech conglomerate looks to cut thousands of jobs to free up cash to build AI data center infrastructure. The software giant has started telling its 162,000-strong workforce that thousands of people will be affected in a new round of layoffs, two people familiar with the matter told CNBC on Tuesday. Its shares were last up 2.6% in early market trading on Wednesday. Oracle declined to comment on CNBC's report. Investors remain uneasy about the company's hefty capital expenditure on data centers that can handle AI workloads. While shares closed up nearly 6% Tuesday, Oracle's stock is down roughly 25% so far this year.

Oracle layoffs could reach 30,000 as company doubles down on AI

Serving tech enthusiasts for over 25 years. TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust. What just happened? Oracle is trimming tens of thousands of jobs across its global operations as part of a broader realignment toward AI infrastructure. Employees in the US and India reported receiving termination emails early Tuesday from "Oracle Leadership" stating, "After careful consideration of Oracle's current business needs, we have made the decision to eliminate your role." Affected workers said the notice marked their final day with the company. The company declined to comment on the total scope of the layoffs, though some estimates suggest they could affect as many as 20,000 to 30,000 workers. Oracle employed about 162,000 people worldwide as of the end of May. Oracle disclosed in a regulatory filing earlier this year that it would allocate an additional $500 million for restructuring costs during the current fiscal year - an increase that analysts interpreted as a sign that more job cuts were coming. The latest round of job cuts may have been foreshadowed by co-chief executive Mike Sicilia's earlier remarks that "the use of AI coding tools inside Oracle is enabling smaller engineering teams to deliver more complete solutions to our customers more quickly." He added that such systems have already been deployed to generate new sales leads, automate customer interactions, and even design parts of the company's new website. A major portion of Oracle's current spending is tied to Stargate, a multibillion-dollar data center initiative led in partnership with OpenAI, SoftBank, and the MGX investment fund. The effort aims to establish vast computing capacity across the US, with the first site already partially operational in Abilene, Texas. Analysts view the collaboration as both a strategic breakthrough and a financial gamble; Oracle is taking on tens of billions in debt to help fund the project, while OpenAI itself remains unprofitable. Oracle's cuts align with an industry-wide recalibration. Amazon has laid off roughly 30,000 employees over the past six months, while payments firm Block and game developer Epic Games have made similar reductions. Executives including Meta's Mark Zuckerberg and Block's Jack Dorsey have argued that automation and AI tools allow smaller teams to deliver more output, a rationale echoed across Silicon Valley boardrooms. For Oracle, the workforce reductions reflect both economic prudence and technological transformation. As the company deepens its reliance on automation to meet AI-driven demand, the immediate question for investors and employees alike will be whether its machine-led model can scale as aggressively as the technology itself.

Oracle cuts 491 jobs in Washington state as it embraces AI-led engineering

Oracle is laying off 491 employees in Washington state, according to a filing Tuesday from the state Employment Security Department. The cuts impact workers at two Seattle offices as well as remote employees and take effect June 1. The cloud and database giant stated in its WARN letter that the offices will not be closing. Earlier this month, Bloomberg and others reported that Oracle was planning to cut thousands of jobs across the company as it tries to fund the high-cost deployment of new data centers. The reductions are also the result of AI-driven efficiencies within the organization, according to comments by Mike Sicilia, Oracle's co-chief executive, in an earnings call March 10. "The use of AI coding tools inside Oracle is enabling smaller engineering teams to deliver more complete solutions to our customers more quickly," Sicilia said, according to the publication CIO. GeekWire has reached out to Oracle for comment on the layoffs. The Washington layoffs affect more than 230 software developers across multiple seniority levels and an additional 48 employees with the title of software development. The cuts include workers in senior director and vice president roles, as well as managers, product developers, product managers, program managers, site reliability developers, technical analysts, user experience developers and others. The layoffs are the latest in a series of Oracle reductions. In August the company laid off 161 workers, followed by 101 employees in October. By last fall, Oracle had approximately 3,800 employees in the Seattle area, according to LinkedIn. Oracle has grown its presence in the region over the past decade, tapping into the area's engineering talent pool as it battled Amazon and Microsoft in the cloud. In recent years, the company has established partnerships with both Seattle-area giants. Now all three, plus other tech companies, have been undergoing multiple rounds of job reductions, with recent Meta cuts impacting 168 Washington workers and T-Mobile confirming new layoffs last Friday.

Oracle is cutting up to 30,000 employees to pay for AI data centres

Employees across the US, India, Canada, and Mexico woke up on 31 March to termination emails from "Oracle Leadership" with no prior warning. TD Cowen estimates the cuts will affect 18% of Oracle's 162,000-person workforce and free up $8-10 billion to fund AI infrastructure. Oracle has not confirmed the total number. Oracle began executing what analysts believe could be the largest layoff in the company's history on Tuesday, 31 March 2026. Employees across the United States, India, Canada, Mexico, and other countries received termination emails from "Oracle Leadership" at approximately 6 a.m. local time, with no prior warning from HR or their direct managers. The emails informed employees that their roles had been eliminated as part of a broader organisational change, and that the day of the email was their final working day. Access to company systems was cut immediately. Oracle has not confirmed the total number of people affected, but investment bank TD Cowen has estimated the cuts will hit between 20,000 and 30,000 employees, roughly 18% of Oracle's global workforce of approximately 162,000 people. The layoffs were first reported by Bloomberg on 5 March 2026, citing unnamed sources who said cuts in the "thousands" were being planned across multiple divisions, with some specifically targeting roles the company expects AI to make redundant. What was reported in early March as a plan is now being executed. Employee posts on Reddit's r/employeesOfOracle and the professional forum Blind began confirming cuts in real time from early morning, with reports of entire teams at units including Revenue and Health Sciences (RHS) and SaaS and Virtual Operations Services (SVOS) seeing reductions of at least 30%. Canada, Mexico, and Uruguay were affected before the US wave hit. The financial logic behind the cuts is not hard to follow. Oracle has committed to an aggressive AI infrastructure buildout that requires an estimated $156 billion in capital spending, according to TD Cowen. To fund it, the company raised $45-50 billion in debt and equity financing in 2026 alone for Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. Multiple US banks have reportedly raised lending costs or stepped back from financing certain Oracle data centre projects. TD Cowen estimates the workforce reductions will free up $8-10 billion in cash flow. Oracle disclosed a $2.1 billion restructuring plan in its March 2026 10-Q SEC filing, with $982 million already recorded in the first nine months of fiscal 2026. The company is expected to have roughly $1.1 billion remaining in that budget, primarily for severance payments. The contradiction at the heart of the Oracle story is stark. The company posted a 95% jump in net income last quarter, reaching $6.13 billion, and its remaining performance obligations, a measure of contracted future revenue, stood at $523 billion, up 433% year over year. This is not a company in revenue distress. It is a company making a capital-intensive bet on AI infrastructure that its current balance sheet cannot comfortably sustain, and eliminating tens of thousands of employees to close the gap. Oracle did not confirm or deny the layoffs on its Q3 fiscal 2026 earnings call. The company has not yet responded publicly to the events of 31 March.

US tech firm Oracle cuts thousands of jobs as it steps up AI spending

Company seeks to reassure investors that bet on artificial intelligence infrastructure will pay off Oracle is cutting thousands of jobs as the US technology company seeks to reassure investors that its bet on AI infrastructure will pay off. The $420bn firm, headquartered in Austin, Texas, started letting employees go on Tuesday, with thousands of Oracle's 160,000-strong workforce expected to leave. About 10,000 people have lost their jobs so far, the BBC reported, citing an unnamed employee at the company, which is chaired by Larry Ellison, the billionaire ally of Donald Trump. He is worth $189bn (£142bn) and is the world's sixth richest person, Forbes estimates. Michael Shepherd, a senior manager at Oracle who was not affected by the cuts, posted on the social media site LinkedIn that there had been a "significant reduction in force" at the business. Shepherd said the decision had affected "senior engineers, architects, operations leaders, program managers, and technical specialists with deep expertise in cloud infrastructure, government and sovereign cloud environments, and enterprise-scale systems". Business Insider first reported the job cuts, which were announced via an email stating: "After careful consideration of Oracle's current business needs, we have made the decision to eliminate your role as part of a broader organisational change." Oracle acknowledged some job losses on Tuesday, affecting 491 employees working remotely in Washington state in the US and at its Seattle offices. The cuts come as Oracle, a business software company, steps up spending on datacentres - key infrastructure for developing and operating AI systems - in an effort to better compete with cloud rivals, such as Alphabet and Amazon. Oracle's plans include a $300bn datacentre deal with OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, but investors have grown concerned about the billions of dollars of expenditure attached to its plans, which includes raising $50bn in new debt. In a March filing, Oracle said it expects total costs tied to its 2026 restructuring plan to reach up to $2.1bn, largely driven by redundancies and related expenses. Meanwhile, more than 70 tech companies have cut about 40,480 jobs so far this year, according to the tech redundancy site Layoffs.fyi, as companies increasingly reallocate resources toward AI, heightening fears of AI-driven disruptions among workers. Last month, Reuters reported that Meta was planning sweeping job cuts that could affect 20% or more of its workforce.

Oracle layoffs expected to hit thousands as AI spending soars

Oracle $ORCL has begun notifying employees of thousands of job cuts, according to CNBC, as the company contends with a cash crunch tied to its aggressive expansion into AI data center infrastructure. The reductions are expected to affect divisions across the company and are wider in scope than Oracle's typical rolling cuts, according to Bloomberg. Some positions being eliminated fall into job categories the company expects to need less of due to AI, though the primary driver is financial pressure from the data center buildout. Oracle declined to comment. Oracle stock rose about 5% Tuesday afternoon on the news of the layoffs. Oracle, which employed 162,000 people globally as of May 2025, has been leaning on debt markets to finance its AI infrastructure push. In January, the company announced plans to raise $50 billion through a combination of debt and equity. Wall Street projects the spending will push Oracle's cash flow negative for several years before the investment begins to pay off around 2030, according to Bloomberg. TD Cowen analysts wrote in January that cutting 20,000 to 30,000 employees could generate $8 billion to $10 billion in incremental free cash flow. The layoffs reflect a broader dynamic in the tech industry. The workers being cut are not losing jobs because AI can perform their work. They are losing jobs to the capital now being directed toward chips, data centers, and infrastructure. Microsoft $MSFT cut roughly 15,000 employees last year while simultaneously ramping data center spending. Oracle's situation follows the same pattern: corporate payrolls are being trimmed to help fund AI investment, not because AI has replaced the people doing the work. Oracle has continued to report strong demand for its cloud infrastructure. On an earnings call earlier this month, co-CEO Clay Magouyrk said demand for AI infrastructure "continues to exceed supply" and pointed to $553 billion in remaining performance obligations as evidence. The company also said it does not expect to raise additional debt in 2026.

Oracle cut thousands of jobs in recent round of layoffs - CNBC

The layoffs come amid a push by the organisation to further increase AI investment and adoption. According to a post by CNBC, software maker Oracle has begun informing employees about mass layoffs, which are said to be eliminating thousands of jobs. Employees started receiving notifications on Tuesday (31 March) and while the cuts will have a global impact, the final figures are not yet known. CNBC confirmed the cuts via conversation with two people familiar with the subject, who also requested that they remain unnamed as the announcement has not been made public as of yet. In an email shared by The Business Insider, employees were reportedly told, "After careful consideration of Oracle's current business needs, we have made the decision to eliminate your role as part of a broader organisational change. As a result, today is your last working day." First reported by Bloomberg in early March, it is believed that Oracle is cutting some of the jobs to funnel funds into its major AI data centre expansion efforts. Reportedly, while Oracle is struggling to remain competitive in the GenAI space, the organisation is also believed to be facing pressure from investors concerned about the amount of money being allocated to AI innovation. Oracle is not the first well-known company to announce layoffs and restructuring amid a commitment to AI implementation. In late March, Meta began laying off several hundred of its global employees, reportedly in order to redirect its priorities towards AI. Also in March, collaboration software provider Atlassian said it would be cutting roughly 1,600 roles, around 10pc of its workforce, in order to "self-fund further investment in AI and enterprise sales, while strengthening [the] financial profile". Atlassian's CEO and co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes explained that, while it is not the plan to replace individuals with machinery, "it would be disingenuous to pretend AI doesn't change the mix of skills" needed or "the number of roles required in certain areas". Siliconrepublic.com has reached out to Oracle for comment, but has not received a reply. Don't miss out on the knowledge you need to succeed. Sign up for the Daily Brief, Silicon Republic's digest of need-to-know sci-tech news.

Will Oracle's reported layoffs affect California workers?

President Donald Trump says major tech companies must pay for the electricity needed to power expanding AI data centers. The tech giant Oracle is expected to lay off thousands of employees as the company, formerly headquartered in Silicon Valley, attempts to address its plummeting stock price tied to artificial intelligence commitments, according to CNBC. The extent of layoffs has not been announced by Oracle, but people were posting online about their firings, many of whom held positions in software engineering and cybersecurity. Elsewhere on Reddit, in what is labeled an Oracle employees group, there was discussion about job cuts in Canada, India and the United States over the last week. Employees started receiving notifications on March 31 that the company intended to lay them off, according to a filing with Washington's Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN). "After careful consideration of Oracle's current business needs, we have made the decision to eliminate your role as part of a broader organizational change," read an email obtained by Business Insider. "As a result, today is your last working day." This plan from Oracle had been in the works for a while, aimed at saving money and offsetting costs associated with its AI data center expansion, according to a Bloomberg report published on March 5. Oracle declined to comment to USA TODAY as of March 31. Will Oracle layoffs affect California employees? Oracle has six offices located throughout California, including in Irvine, Pleasanton, Redwood Shores, Rocklin, Santa Clara and Santa Monica. Redwood Shores, which sits in the heart of Silicon Valley, once served as the company's main headquarters from 1989 to 2020, before Oracle relocated its base of operation to Austin, Texas in 2020. As of April 1, the company had not issued a WARN notice for California, a legally required warning that employers with 100 or more employees must provide 60 calendar-days advance notice of planned closings and mass layoffs. It's unclear how many workers in California may be affected; however, a WARN notice filed in Washington could provide some insight into who may be impacted by the layoffs. The company intends to lay off 491 employees who worked remotely in Washington and at its Seattle sites, according to a notice filed with Washington's WARN system. Oracle says in the notice that the layoffs are due to "a reduction in force," and that it would not be closing its Seattle sites. "These layoffs are not the result of, nor are they expected to result in the relocation or contracting out of Oracle's operations or the affected employees' positions," the notice from Oracle reads. Employees were notified on March 31 by the company about the layoffs, but will not immediately lose their jobs, according to the notice. Oracle plans to lay off these employees by June 1, 2026. Of the 491 jobs listed in the Washington WARN notice, the majority of those receiving layoff notices are software developers, ranging from junior to more senior positions. Program managers, product managers, technical analysts, financial analysts, and IT managers appeared on the list of layoffs. Why would Oracle lay off so many people? In total, the job reductions could account for about 30,000 jobs, or about 18% of Oracle's total workforce, Luke Yang, an analyst with the research firm Morningstar, told USA TODAY. The layoff "should improve Oracle's operating efficiency ... and boost its revenue per headcount significantly," to match competitors such as Microsoft, Yang said. "The main areas affected are most likely software engineering because AI-based coding tools (Codex, Claude Code) have dramatically improved software engineers' efficiency," Yang said. "This round's layoff is global. We see some engineers in India got impacted, too. I don't think the layoff would affect Oracle Cloud Infrastructure's ramp-up plans." In January, President Donald Trump announced the Stargate venture to ramp up U.S. AI deployment, with Oracle Executive Chairman Larry Ellison, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son at the White House. Ellison said the first of the project's data centers is currently under construction in Texas. Oracle's cash flow is expected to trend negative over the coming years due to data center spending, with expenditures expected to pay off in 2023, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Last month, Oracle said it would raise as much as $50 billion this year through a combination of debt and equity sales. Contributing: Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA TODAY; Reuters Noe Padilla is a Northern California Reporter for USA Today. Contact him at [email protected], follow him on X @1NoePadilla or on Bluesky @noepadilla.bsky.social.

Oracle Layoffs explained: 'Fire humans, build AI', video explains how 30,000 job cut could become a template for tech layoffs

Oracle layoffs Reason: Oracle is reportedly laying off approximately 12,000 employees in India as part of a global reduction of nearly 30,000 roles. This significant workforce cut is allegedly to redirect billions of dollars into building AI infrastructure and data centers, aiming to compete in the cloud race. Oracle has reportedly begun a major round of job cuts in India, with around 12,000 employees said to have been laid off and more reductions likely in the coming weeks, according to affected staff. The move is part of a broader global exercise that has already seen nearly 30,000 roles eliminated. While the company has not issued an official statement, employees say internal communication pointed to organisational changes and efforts to streamline operations, leading to several roles being declared redundant. Also Read: Oracle layoffs 2026: US IT firm sent brutal 6 am emails, 12k jobs in India hit; another round likely soon The news has created a ripple effect among the IT workers. Amid the buzz, a social media video has expalined why Oracle is preparing to cut up to 30,000 jobs, nearly 18% of its workforce. The massive layoffs are not due to weak business but to redirect billions of dollars into artificial intelligence infrastructure, according to claims made in a viral social media video. The cuts, if carried out, could begin as early as this month, with more rounds expected in the coming months. The video claims the company aims to free up between $8 billion and $10 billion in annual cash flow. This money will be used to build large-scale AI data centres filled with high-performance chips, especially from Nvidia, to train and run advanced AI models. "Let me say that again. A company is firing 30,000 humans to build the machines that replace humans." The scale of the shift stands out because the layoffs are not linked to falling revenues but to a strategic pivot. The video further claims that Oracle's long-term investment in data centres could reach $156 billion. This aggressive expansion has reportedly raised concerns among financial institutions, with some US banks scaling back funding due to doubts over repayment capacity. Also Read: Oracle Layoffs 2026: Here's what the early morning termination email read "Oracle is trying to catch up by spending at a pace their current revenue can't support." The company's cash flow is expected to remain under pressure for years if these investments go ahead as described. Oracle is attempting to compete with established cloud leaders like Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud, which have spent years building AI infrastructure. The video highlights that Oracle has already secured AI-related deals with companies such as OpenAI, Cohere, and xAI. It also points to a planned large AI data centre campus in Texas as part of this expansion. The layoffs are expected to affect traditional roles, including sales teams, support staff, and middle management. At the same time, the company may hire for new roles in AI engineering, cloud architecture, and data centre operations. "The jobs aren't disappearing, they're transforming," it said. The shift reflects a wider industry trend where companies are reorganising workforces around AI capabilities. The video claims that several tech companies are already following similar paths. Atlassian is said to have cut around 1,600 jobs to fund AI initiatives, while Meta has been replacing some moderation roles with AI systems. It also notes that tens of thousands of tech jobs have been cut globally in early 2026, with a majority in the United States, as companies shift priorities. As per the video's claims, Oracle's move could become a turning point for the tech industry, with companies openly linking layoffs to AI investments rather than calling them restructuring. "This is the template. Other companies have been disguising AI-driven layoffs as restructuring or efficiency improvements." The strategy carries risk. Oracle is placing a massive bet on catching up in the AI cloud market, where switching providers is costly and early leaders hold an advantage. The development signals a deeper shift in how companies allocate capital and talent. As AI infrastructure becomes central to business strategy, workforce changes may follow across industries. "Fire humans, build AI, hope it works." Whether this approach proves successful or costly remains uncertain, but the model described in the video suggests that the AI transition is entering a more aggressive phase.

Oracle reportedly undergoing round of layoffs amid push toward AI

President Donald Trump signed an executive order to help finalize TikTok's $14B U.S. deal with Oracle as on board as security provider. Oracle has cut an unspecified number of jobs as the software giant looks to reduce costs and continue growing its artificial intelligence business, according to former employees and multiple reports. Numerous former employees posted on LinkedIn on Tuesday, March 31, that Oracle fired them. It's uncertain how many workers were affected, but CNBC reported that the company's layoffs were in the thousands, citing persons familiar with the move. Those who posted about the firings held positions in software engineering and cybersecurity. Elsewhere on Reddit, in what is labeled an Oracle employees group, there was discussion about job cuts in Canada, India and the United States over the last week. Oracle declined to comment to USA TODAY. As of March 31, the company had not filed a recent Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act notice, a legally required warning that employers with 100 or more employees must provide 60 calendar-day advance notice of planned closings and mass layoffs. Why would Oracle want to lay off employees? Workers were notified by email, several online commenters said. The emails began arriving in employees' inboxes at about 6 a.m. local time, Fast Company reported. "After careful consideration of Oracle's current business needs, we have made the decision to eliminate your role as part of a broader organizational change," read copies of the email obtained by Business Insider. "As a result, today is your last working day."The job reductions could account for about 30,000 jobs, or about 18% of Oracle's total workforce, Luke Yang, an analyst with the research firm Morningstar, told USA TODAY. The layoff "should improve Oracle's operating efficiency ... and boost its revenue per headcount significantly," to match competitors such as Microsoft, Yang said. "The main areas affected are most likely software engineering because AI-based coding tools (Codex, Claude Code) have dramatically improved software engineers' efficiency," Yang said. "This round's layoff is global. We see some engineers in India got impacted, too. I don't think the layoff would affect Oracle Cloud Infrastructure's ramp-up plans." Oracle had been planning to cut thousands of jobs as early as the end of March, Bloomberg reported on March 5, to save money and offset its AI data center expansion. In January, President Donald Trump announced the Stargate venture to ramp up U.S. AI deployment, with Oracle Executive Chairman Larry Ellison, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son at the White House. Ellison said the first of the project's data centers is currently under construction in Texas. Oracle's cash flow is expected to trend negative over the coming years due to data center spending, with expenditures expected to pay off in 2023, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.Last month, Oracle said it would raise as much as $50 billion this year through a combination of debt and equity sales. Contributing: Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA TODAY; Reuters.Mike Snider is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at mikegsnider & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider & [email protected].

Oracle Needs Cash For AI; Solution? One Email, 30K Let Go - Oracle (NYSE:ORCL)

Oracle Slashes Workforce To Help Pay For AI Data Centers, Analysts Estimate 30,000 Cuts Oracle Corp (NYSE:ORCL) dreams of AI, but even with more than $6 billion in profits, it's still short on cash. The solution? Fire thousands of employees. Roughly 18% of the company's global workforce reportedly received a 6 a.m. termination email on Tuesday from "Oracle Leadership." Access to company systems was cut immediately with no prior warning, no manager call and no HR meeting. TD Cowen estimates the cuts could reach 20,000 to 30,000 workers, making it the single largest tech layoff of 2026. Benzinga reached out to Oracle to confirm the estimated number of layoffs, but has not heard back. Meanwhile, Polymarket's AI Bubble Burst contract has jumped to 22% from 17% in late February, as speculation grows around the financial risks of AI investments. After posting $6.13 billion in net income, Oracle is still cutting thousands of jobs to free up funds -- highlighting the growing tension between soaring profits and the exorbitant costs of AI infrastructure. Record Profits, Record Layoffs TD Cowen projects the cuts will free up $8 billion to $10 billion in cash flow to fund what the bank estimates is a $156 billion AI data center build out. Oracle posted a 95% jump in net income last quarter to $6.13 billion. The backlog is enormous. Whether it is converting that to revenue is the question Oracle has not answered. The Austin, Texas-based company has taken on $58 billion in new debt within two months and multiple U.S. banks have reportedly pulled back from financing its data center projects. The stock is down more than 25% year-to-date. It's Not Just Oracle, Prediction Markets Price Fallout A separate Polymarket contract gives a 55% chance that U.S. unemployment hits 5% this year, up from the current 4.4%. TD Cowen and other analysts have warned that Oracle's playbook of swapping headcount for compute may become a template for enterprise tech. Steve Eisman, the Big Short investor, said earlier this month that Oracle's credit default swaps had hit their highest spread since 2008, but dismissed bankruptcy risk. The CDS market is "extremely illiquid," he said. The layoff market is not. Image: Shutterstock Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs To add Benzinga News as your preferred source on Google, click here.

US Stock Market | Oracle shares jump 6% amid layoff buzz; AI pivot drives investor optimism

Oracle's stock surged despite widespread layoffs, as the company reallocates resources towards AI and cloud infrastructure. Investors are focusing on future growth potential, viewing the job cuts as a strategic move to enhance profitability and operational agility in the competitive tech landscape. Shares of Oracle Corporation surged in Tuesday's trading session even as the company initiated widespread layoffs across its global workforce, highlighting a growing divergence between market sentiment and employment trends in the technology sector. According to multiple media reports, Oracle's stock climbed around 5-6% after news emerged that the company had begun cutting thousands of jobs as part of a broader restructuring strategy. The layoffs are part of Oracle's aggressive push into artificial intelligence and cloud infrastructure. The company is reallocating capital toward building data centres and expanding its AI capabilities, a move that requires significant investment and cost optimisation elsewhere. Reports indicate that thousands of employees have already been impacted globally, with India among the hardest-hit regions. Estimates suggest that more than 12,000 jobs may have been cut in India alone as part of the restructuring. The company has also filed notices confirming job reductions in the United States, while broader internal data suggests the scale of layoffs could expand further. Despite the negative optics of large-scale layoffs, investors responded positively. The rally in Oracle's stock reflects expectations that workforce reductions will improve cost efficiency and help offset the heavy spending required for AI infrastructure. Market participants appear to be focusing on the long-term growth potential of Oracle's AI and cloud businesses rather than near-term disruptions. Analysts have pointed out that such restructuring measures are often viewed as necessary steps to enhance profitability and operational agility. Oracle's pivot comes at a time when the global technology industry is rapidly investing in AI capabilities. The company is reportedly channeling significant capital into data centres and next-generation computing infrastructure to compete with major cloud players. This shift has, however, raised concerns about short-term financial pressure, with increased capital expenditure and restructuring costs expected to weigh on cash flows in the near term. Oracle's actions mirror a wider trend across the tech sector, where companies are trimming headcount while simultaneously ramping up investments in AI. The reallocation of resources reflects a structural shift in how technology firms are positioning themselves for the next phase of growth. The sharp rise in Oracle's stock underscores a key market dynamic that investors are prioritising future earnings potential driven by AI over immediate concerns about layoffs. While the human cost of restructuring remains significant, the company's strategic pivot is being interpreted as a decisive move to strengthen its competitive position in the evolving cloud and AI landscape.

Oracle's Layoff Storm Leaves Up to 30,000 Employees Jobless Overnight

Oracle Corporation has initiated a sweeping wave of layoffs that could impact 20,000 to 30,000 employees globally, according to multiple analyst estimates and industry reports. The move, announced on March 31, marks one of the largest workforce reductions in the company's history and highlights a decisive shift toward artificial intelligence and data center expansion. The layoffs have drawn intense scrutiny due to their execution. Employees across the United States, India, and other regions reported receiving termination emails as early as 6 a.m., often without any prior communication from managers or HR. In many cases, the notification email stated that the same day would be their last working day, with immediate loss of system access. This sudden approach has triggered widespread criticism and renewed concerns around employee communication practices in large corporations.

Oracle Cuts Thousands of Jobs After Monthslong Stock Decline | PYMNTS.com

The software maker, which employed 162,000 people as of May, has seen its stock price drop 25% this year, according to the report. Investors have been concerned about the potential threat artificial intelligence poses to Oracle's software business and about the amount of debt the firm has raised to build data centers for AI workloads, per the report. Reached by PYMNTS, Oracle declined to comment on the report. The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that Oracle employees and posts on LinkedIn said that Oracle's job cuts spanned across the company's business lines and included employees based in the United States and India. The WSJ added that some employees said there were signs of thousands of job cuts and that analysts at investment bank TD Cowan predicted earlier this year that Oracle would mitigate the cost of its investment in AI by laying off as many as 30,000 employees. It was reported in January that Oracle's stock reached a record high in September, when the company issued an outlook for its cloud unit that signaled steep demand for AI, but dropped by more than 50% by January. The January report attributed the drop to rising concern among investors about AI spending among tech giants without an obvious path to return on investment, as well as worries about "circular deals" between the unprofitable startup OpenAI and companies like Oracle. Earlier in January, it was reported that Oracle was sued by bondholders alleging that the company made false and misleading statements in the offering documents for an $18 billion debt sale related to AI infrastructure. On March 24, Oracle introduced several new or updated features designed to help enterprises deploy AI agents. The company said 22 new Fusion Agentic Applications are available, including ones designed to assist human resources (HR) leaders, supply chain leaders, sales teams and finance teams. It also announced that it added a new agentic applications builder to its Oracle AI Agent Studio and that it added new agentic AI innovations for Oracle AI Database.

'I will enjoy sleeping in the morning': Oracle employee shares positivity post, as she loses job in IT company latest layoff of 30,000 staff

A global technology firm is significantly boosting investments in AI infrastructure and data centers, leading to workforce reductions. This strategic realignment prioritizes high-growth, technology-driven initiatives, mirroring a broader industry trend towards automation and cost optimization. Global technology firm Oracle Corporation has recently carried out a major workforce reduction, affecting nearly 12,000 employees in India and close to 30,000 worldwide. The decision was communicated internally through an official message explaining that structural adjustments within the organisation had led to a need for operational consolidation. As part of this restructuring effort, several roles were identified as no longer essential, resulting in widespread redundancies across departments. To ease the transition for affected staff in India, the company has outlined a compensation package that includes financial and statutory benefits. Employees have been assured payment equivalent to 15 days' wages for every completed year of service. In addition, the organisation has committed to covering one month's salary as notice pay, along with encashment of unused leave and gratuity for those who meet eligibility criteria. A supplementary payout equivalent to two months' salary has also been included to cushion the immediate financial impact. However, there have been mentions of unpaid wages extending up to the final working date, which has added to employee concerns. Following the announcement, several impacted individuals turned to LinkedIn to express their emotions and perspectives. One former employee described the situation as surprising yet chose to approach it with a sense of acceptance. Rather than dwelling on the setback, the individual highlighted the unexpected opportunity to pause, reassess priorities, and embrace the uncertainty that comes with seeking new professional paths."Yikes" I thought to myself, being one of the many many folks impacted by recent layoffs at Oracle. But it happens, and I will enjoy sleeping in this morning lolol I will enjoy the challenge of ambiguity, the uncomfortable-ness of saying "I'm looking for a job", but mostly (I think) the freedom of a rare opportunity to slow down and reflect on what I'm wanting to do next.." she wrote Another affected worker reflected on the suddenness of the transition, noting that despite the shock, there was a strong sense of pride in past contributions. The person emphasized gratitude for colleagues and the valuable experiences gained, expressing confidence that these lessons would influence future career decisions in meaningful ways. A separate post marked the conclusion of a seven-year journey with the company. The employee looked back on personal and professional development achieved during that period, acknowledging the growth that came from being part of a dynamic work environment. Even amid the disappointment of losing the role, the tone remained reflective and appreciative. Among those affected, Venkatraman Raghuraman, a graduate of the National Institute of Technology, shared a deeply personal account of the experience. He described the development as unexpected, especially after dedicating long hours and significant effort toward building impactful projects. The situation, he noted, served as a reminder that larger organisational forces often operate beyond individual visibility or control. Despite the setback, he emphasized the importance of resilience and perspective. Choosing to respond with gratitude, he acknowledged the value of the challenges faced and the relationships formed over time. Expressing pride in his professional contributions, he has now shifted his focus toward new opportunities, particularly in areas such as strategic planning, operations, and supply chain leadership. He also reached out to his network for guidance and potential connections as he navigates this transition. This latest round of layoffs appears to be closely linked to the company's evolving strategic priorities. Oracle Corporation has been significantly increasing investments in artificial intelligence infrastructure and expanding its data centre capabilities. The workforce reduction is widely interpreted as part of a broader realignment aimed at redirecting resources toward these high-growth, technology-driven initiatives. Such restructuring moves are not isolated, as several major technology firms have undertaken similar steps in recent months. The trend reflects a larger industry shift toward automation, AI development, and cost optimisation, often at the expense of traditional roles.

Oracle Layoffs Impact Thousands as AI Push Intensifies; Stock Jumps 6% on Cost Discipline Signal

The company plans to cut staff as part of a planned transformation, not because of operational difficulties. planned its workforce reduction to support business operations, which required the company to redirect its 162,000 employees toward AI computing and data center infrastructure. India has emerged as one of the most affected regions, with estimates indicating over 12,000 employees in a workforce of about 30,000. Oracle reported in a USA regulatory filing that 491 employees from Washington state will lose their jobs by June 2026. The numbers demonstrate the extent of the restructuring, yet they show how the organization has changed its focus to invest in capital-intensive technological advances.

Oracle axes 30K jobs in massive layoff -- notifying fired employees with 6 a.m. email

Major Bay Area tech company Oracle reportedly axed up to 30,000 jobs in a massive layoff Tuesday, notifying fired employees they were jobless in an email sent at 6 a.m.. An email from one of the world's largest software companies, chaired by billionaire Larry Ellison, informed employees across multiple regions that Tuesday would be their last day at the company. "After careful consideration of Oracle's current business needs, we have made the decision to eliminate your role as part of a broader organizational change," copies of the email viewed by Business Insider stated. "As a result, today is your last working day...thank you for your contributions to our organization." The email also asked employees to provide their personal email addresses for future correspondence. The terminated employees were told that after signing their termination paperwork they would be "eligible to receive a severance package subject to the terms and conditions of the severance plan." Employees in the US, India, Canada, and other regions reported getting the news that was from "Oracle Leadership," per RollingOut. The cuts are expected to affect around 18% of its workforce around the world-roughly 20,000-30,000 jobs, as the company turns to AI to take over those roles. As of May 2025, the software company employed around 162,0000 full-time employees, according to its annual filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Copies of the termination emails appeared on Reddit's employeesOfOracle group, with users talking about being let go, blasting the company. "They created widespread fear, frustration, and uncertainty among all employees, not just those directly impacted by the RIF," one person wrote. "From a financial perspective, the approach seems inefficient, offering significant severance packages while continuing to hire new employees." One person wrote about their dad being laid off after 20 years with the company and reportedly just 2 years before he was going to retire. "Not even a phone call. The companies are evil." Another person commenting on the site said their job was just terminated and their access "revoked immediately." One message said "Oracle's headcount dropped from 165K to 155K" this morning. Other's warned more jobs were being cut. News of the bloodbath at Oracle comes following a report in March that the company was looking at slashing thousands of jobs as it attempted a massive AI data center expansion effort, leaving investors worried about how it would fund such efforts. In February, the company outlined plans to raise $45 billion to $50 billion this year in order to expand its cloud infrastructure, fueling investor concerns about its rising debt load. The California Post has reached out to Oracle for further comment.

Oracle begins new round of layoffs amid rising AI, data centre spends; Indian employees also impacted - The Economic Times

The Larry Ellison-led company is slashing jobs across cloud and database units. The restructuring is aimed at transitioning it from a traditional database software provider into an AI cloud rival to Amazon and Microsoft.Larry Ellison-led Oracle has reportedly begun another round of layoffs amid increased capital expenditure on artificial intelligence (AI) and data centres. Per posts on LinkedIn by impacted employees, the mass layoffs were undertaken on Tuesday in the cloud computing and database management divisions. The move has also affected the company's India teams. The total number of employees expected to have been impacted remains unclear. The company had set aside an additional $500 million to meet such global restructuring costs, taking the total restructuring funds to $2.1 billion for the current fiscal year, according to a report by FT earlier this month. This move comes amid Oracle's ambitions to transition from a traditional database software provider into an AI cloud rival to Amazon and Microsoft. In September last year, OpenAI and Oracle signed a landmark $300 billion, five-year cloud computing deal to power ChatGPT and expand the former's AI infrastructure. Per a Bloomberg report, Oracle may require $156 billion in capex and around three million GPUs to fulfil its AI infrastructure commitments under this deal, which is part of OpenAI's larger Stargate data centre project. In May last year, it was reported that Oracle would be spending over $40 billion to purchase just 400,000 high-performance GB200 chips from Nvidia. To fund its AI infrastructure ambitions, the company has reportedly taken almost $58 billion in new debt in a span of two months in 2026. Between August and September, the company slashed over 3,000 jobs across its United States, Canada, and India teams. Over 100 jobs were impacted in India around that time. Oracle had around 162,000 full-time employees, as of May 31 last year, according to its annual filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Per a Business Insider report, investor concerns around AI disrupting traditional software businesses have weighed on Oracle's performance, with its stock down nearly 30% this year. Oracle is not the only company on a firing spree. Tech giants around the globe, including Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta, have laid off thousands of employees as part of their cost-cutting efforts to compensate for their increasing AI infrastructure investment.

Oracle Layoffs: Thousands being fired via email without warning -- here's what lead to the global restructuring

Oracle layoffs: Oracle has begun a sweeping round of layoffs across its global offices, with employees reporting that termination emails arrived in their inboxes early Tuesday morning. For many workers, the news came without any warning, no prior discussion with managers, and no call from HR. Instead, employees say they learned their roles had been eliminated through a direct email from leadership informing them that the same day was their final working day. The cuts appear to be part of one of Oracle's biggest restructuring efforts in recent memory. ALSO READ: Explosive claim from James Carville: Trump to quit after midterm elections and ask Vance for pardon Oracle has started a major wave of layoffs across multiple global offices, with employees describing a sudden and deeply unsettling process that began with early morning termination emails. According to accounts shared online by affected workers, emails from "Oracle Leadership" began arriving as early as 6 a.m. EST on Tuesday, informing staff that their positions had been eliminated as part of a broader organizational change, reported The Times of India. For many, there was no advance warning. Employees said there had been no prior intimation, no conversation with HR, and no manager involvement before the email arrived. The message made it clear that the day the email was received would also be the employee's last working day. ALSO READ: NASA Moon mission: When does Artemis 2 launch? Date, timeline, crew and what to expect Workers reported that the notification process was abrupt and impersonal. The email informed them that after signing termination paperwork through DocuSign, they would become eligible for a severance package under the company's terms and conditions. "We are sharing some difficult news regarding your position. After careful consideration of Oracle's current business needs, we have made the decision to eliminate your role as part of a broader organizational change. As a result, today is your last working day. We are grateful for your dedication, hard work, and the impact you have made during your time with us. After signing your termination paperwork, you will be eligible to receive a severance package subject to the terms and conditions of the severance plan. You will receive an email from DocuSign to your Oracle email address with details on your severance and termination date," read the email, sent from "Oracle Leadership" and screenshotted by affected employees, reported The Times of India. ALSO READ:Gavin Newsom predicts next Trump official to be fired after Kristi Noem -- his guess is turning heads Employees were also instructed to update their personal email addresses so that follow-up communication, including separation details and FAQs, could be sent after their company accounts were disabled. Several workers said access to production systems was revoked almost immediately after the email was received. Some also noted that while their formal last working day may be listed as April 3, this would be followed by a one-month garden leave period with limited access. Employees who held vested stock were told they would continue to retain access to those shares through Fidelity, while any unvested restricted stock units were reportedly forfeited immediately. Based on accounts shared by employees online, the layoffs appear to have hit several business units particularly hard. Among the most frequently mentioned teams were: At least one manager was also said to be part of the layoffs. The scale of the cuts suggests that the restructuring is not limited to isolated departments but spans multiple operational areas. Some online posts also alleged that Oracle had recently installed tracking utilities on company-issued Mac laptops, with warnings circulating among affected employees not to copy files or code before returning devices. The layoffs appear directly tied to Oracle's aggressive push into AI infrastructure and data center expansion. According to analysis cited in the information provided, the company could be targeting reductions of 20,000 to 30,000 employees, which would represent roughly 18% of its global workforce of 162,000 people, reported The Times of India. The goal is reportedly to free up between $8 billion and $10 billion in cash flow. That money is urgently needed to support an ambitious, debt-heavy expansion into AI data centers. The financial strain behind that expansion is significant. Oracle has reportedly taken on $58 billion in new debt within just two months. At the same time, its stock has lost more than half its value since peaking in September 2025. Multiple U.S. banks have also reportedly reduced their financing exposure to some of the company's data center projects. What makes the restructuring especially striking is that it comes despite strong recent earnings. Oracle reportedly posted a 95% jump in net income, reaching $6.13 billion last quarter. That contrast -- record profits alongside large-scale job cuts -- highlights the scale of the company's long-term AI bet. For employees who began their day with an unexpected layoff email, however, the company's strategic ambitions offer little immediate reassurance. This restructuring now stands as one of the most significant workforce reductions linked to the ongoing AI infrastructure race. Why is Oracle laying off employees? The layoffs are tied to a major restructuring aimed at funding AI data center expansion. How were employees informed? Many workers said they received early morning termination emails without prior notice.

Oracle cuts thousands of jobs to fund AI pivot

According to reports from Business Insider, Oracle has begun a wave of layoffs affecting several thousand positions: the exact scale remains unspecified, out of a total headcount of approximately 162,000 employees. This decision comes amid a strategic transformation as the company ramps up investment in AI-related infrastructure. The stock is down 27% YTD, with investors concerned by both intensifying competition and the impact of this capex on cash flow. The group is strengthening its cloud capabilities by developing data centers designed to handle AI workloads, while continuing to leverage its legacy database business. This strategy is notably supported by a major partnership with OpenAI, which helped propel future revenue commitments to $455bn, a 359% increase. Alongside this, Oracle has made governance adjustments, appointing new executives to oversee this transition. The workforce reduction illustrates the trade-offs being made by Big Tech firms as they reallocate resources toward high-priority strategic segments, particularly artificial intelligence.

Oracle layoffs hit India hard: 12,000 jobs cut, more layoffs may follow soon

The layoffs are linked to Oracle's increased investments in AI and infrastructure under Larry Ellison. Oracle has reportedly started firing employees in 2026, impacting employees working in the US, India and other global markets as a wider restructuring effort. Reports stated that between 20,000 and 30,000 jobs could be affected worldwide, with around 12,000 employees in India alone likely to be impacted. As per the accounts shared online, many employees were informed about their termination via early morning emails, some sent as early as 6 AM EST. The email came under the name of Oracle Leadership and it mentioned that roles have been eliminated with immediate effect due to the changing business requirements. Many employees claimed there were no previous discussions with managers or HR before receiving the email. The communication also stated that severance details would be shared separately via digital documentation. "We are sharing some difficult news regarding your position. After careful consideration of Oracle's current business needs, we have made the decision to eliminate your role as part of a broader organizational change. As a result, today is your last working day. We are grateful for your dedication, hard work, and the impact you have made during your time with us. After signing your termination paperwork, you will be eligible to receive a severance package subject to the terms and conditions of the severance plan. You will receive an email from DocuSign to your Oracle email address with details on your severance and termination date," the email stated as cited by many reports. The layoffs are also said to have affected different teams, including cloud, enterprise, engineering, product and operations, with reports claiming that certain teams have faced more impact. India operations have also seen cuts across development centres and support roles. The move is said to be linked to Oracle's growing focus on AI and cloud infrastructure. Under the leadership of Larry Ellison, the company has been investing heavily in AI capabilities and large-scale data centre expansion, including partnerships with AI players.