Samwise High Tech Recruiting Newsletter
Friday, June 19, 2026
Robinhood Lays Off 290 Workers in Drive for “Absolute Elite” Performance
Robinhood Markets cut approximately 290 employees — roughly 10% of its full-time workforce — on June 16, in a restructuring the company framed as raising its performance bar rather than a response to financial weakness. CEO Vlad Tenev told employees the company has never been stronger, pointing to record average daily trading volumes across equities, options, and prediction markets in June month-to-date. The reduction will generate approximately $20 million in cash restructuring charges and $8 million in share-based compensation costs in the second quarter of 2026. Tenev described the goal as cementing an absolute elite performance bar for the organization’s culture going forward.
Sources: TechCrunch, Crunchbase News
2026 Tech Layoffs Average 1,115 Jobs Per Day as AI Justifications Fail to Boost Returns
Tech sector layoffs are averaging approximately 1,115 jobs cut per day in 2026, with 267 layoff events affecting 185,894 workers through mid-June, according to an analysis published June 16 by TechTimes. The article notes that artificial intelligence has become the dominant justification cited by companies announcing reductions, yet the data shows that layoff-driven firms have not outperformed peers on stock returns — raising questions about whether AI displacement is the real driver. Meta, Oracle, and Block are among the companies cited as major contributors to the year’s total. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman acknowledged earlier this year that some companies are using AI to explain reductions they would have made regardless.
Sources: TechTimes, InformationWeek
lastminute.com Cuts 25% of Workforce in AI Transition; Bungie Reduces Studio by Half
Travel technology firm lastminute.com announced plans to eliminate 25% of its global workforce — approximately 400 employees — in an artificial intelligence transition, according to TrueUp’s layoffs tracker, which logged the announcement on June 17, 2026. The Switzerland-headquartered company operates online travel booking platforms across Europe. Separately, video game developer Bungie, a studio owned by Sony Interactive Entertainment, announced layoffs affecting around 400 employees — representing approximately 50% of the company’s total workforce. Both announcements came on June 17, contributing to a mid-June period that has seen multiple technology and entertainment companies announce significant workforce reductions.
Sources: TrueUp Layoffs Tracker, Computerworld
SHRM26 Annual Conference Opens in Orlando with Recruiting AI as Top HR Priority
The SHRM Annual Conference and Expo 2026 opened in Orlando on June 16, drawing more than 25,000 HR and talent acquisition professionals across 375 expert-led sessions and more than 650 exhibitors. The conference programming reflects the industry’s pivot toward artificial intelligence: according to SHRM’s State of AI in HR 2026 report, recruiting is now the number-one AI use case, deployed by 27% of organizations. The report also found that 57% of CHROs expect reducing bias in AI hiring tools to grow as a priority through the year. Conference tracks cover AI advancements, emerging regulations, and best practices shaping the field of HR.
Employ and VONQ Bring Responsible AI Candidate Screening to JazzHR Platform
Employ Inc. expanded its AI-powered candidate screening capabilities on June 17, bringing VONQ AI Screening into its JazzHR applicant tracking system, following an earlier rollout in the Lever platform. The integration automates early-stage screening and generates a structured assessment record for each applicant, detailing how they were evaluated against role criteria — a design the companies describe as addressing growing regulatory scrutiny of AI in hiring. The system has been tested across 50 languages, with voice-based screening available in 15. Employ and VONQ plan to showcase the integrated solution in a joint webinar on June 30. Lever went live with the integration in May.
Sources: ERE, Yahoo Finance
Dice June 2026: AI Skills Required in 73% of Tech Job Postings, Up 192% Year-Over-Year
Artificial intelligence skills are now listed as a requirement in 73% of U.S. technology job postings as of May 2026 — up from 71% in April and a 192% increase from the same month in 2025 — according to Dice’s June 2026 Tech Job Report. Overall tech job postings rose 2% month-over-month and 23% year-over-year in May, the strongest annual comparison of 2026 so far. Staffing industry postings showed the largest sector gain, climbing more than 100% month-over-month, consistent with analyst forecasts pointing to 2026 as the first meaningful recovery year for tech staffing after several years of contraction.
Sources: Dice, Staffing Industry Analysts
Pay Transparency Laws Now Active in 16 States as Salary Disclosure Becomes Standard Practice
Pay transparency laws now cover 16 U.S. states plus Washington D.C., requiring salary range disclosure in job postings, according to guidance published by Jackson Lewis in 2026. The share of job postings including salary ranges climbed from 45% in 2023 to 68% in 2025, as employer compliance accelerated ahead of legal requirements. California tightened its pay transparency rules in 2026, requiring actual expected compensation ranges rather than broad placeholder figures. Massachusetts and New Jersey have moved to active enforcement, issuing penalties for non-compliant postings. Delaware’s pay transparency law, already passed, is set to take effect in 2027.
Sources: Jackson Lewis, Candoriq
Microsoft’s Copilot-First Reorg Accelerates Exodus of Senior Executives Across Product and Engineering
Microsoft’s ongoing AI-driven restructuring has prompted an acceleration in senior executive departures spanning product, engineering, and AI divisions, according to reporting published in June 2026. Notable exits include Vishnu Nath, who spent nearly 16 years running the Office product group before leaving to lead product for Google Chat, and Eric Boyd, who spent nearly 17 years as Microsoft’s president of AI platform before joining Anthropic as head of infrastructure. Julia Liuson announced her departure effective June with no successor named. The pattern reflects Microsoft’s broader shift of replacing domain generalists with AI-credentialed specialists across gaming, Office, Windows, developer tools, and GitHub.
Sources: Metaintro, Windows Gadget Hacks
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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