Samwise High Tech Recruiting Newsletter
Tuesday, June 23, 2026
Oracle Annual Filing Reveals 21,000 Jobs Cut Over 12 Months, AI Explicitly Cited
Oracle’s annual financial filing, disclosed June 22, revealed the company cut 21,000 jobs over the past 12 months — a 13% workforce decline from its prior-year headcount. The company explicitly cited artificial intelligence as a driver, stating that “the adoption and deployment of AI technologies across our operations have resulted, and may continue to result, in reductions to our workforce.” The cuts came even as Oracle reported $3.7 billion in quarterly net income, up 27% year-over-year, with remaining performance obligations surging 325% to $553 billion. Savings are being redirected toward AI data center expansion.
Sources: TechCrunch
Lucid Motors Cuts 18% of Workforce Under New CEO, Second Shift Eliminated
Lucid Motors slashed 18% of its workforce — approximately 1,500 employees — just months after a prior round of cuts. The electric vehicle maker’s new CEO Silvio Napoli, who joined June 1, ordered the reduction. The cuts eliminate the second shift at Lucid’s Casa Grande, Arizona manufacturing facility, and include the departure of Chief Operating Officer Marc Winterhoff. The company expects $32 million in cash charges but projects $158 million in annual savings. This follows a 12% workforce reduction in February 2026, as the EV maker grapples with a cooling electric vehicle market.
Sources: TechCrunch, CNBC
ManpowerGroup CEO Jonas Prising Co-Chairs Summer Davos, Will Lead AI Workforce Panel
The World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting of the New Champions (AMNC26) — “Summer Davos” — opened June 23 in Dalian, China, running through June 25, 2026. This year’s theme, “Innovating at Scale,” centers on translating technological breakthroughs into broad-based economic benefit. ManpowerGroup CEO Jonas Prising serves as a co-chair of the event; on Tuesday June 23, he will participate in a panel titled “AI Everywhere, Not at Once” exploring AI deployment, work redesign, and workforce readiness. ManpowerGroup’s delegation includes senior leaders spanning workforce strategy, talent solutions, and labor market intelligence across Asia Pacific and the Middle East.
Sources: PRNewswire
EA’s Third 2026 Layoff Wave Hits Recruitment Teams in US and Hyderabad
Electronic Arts launched a third round of layoffs in 2026, this time targeting non-development roles across the company. According to reports citing Insider Gaming, the cuts affect staff in customer support, trust and safety, information technology, and — most notably for the industry — recruitment teams, at offices in the United States and Hyderabad, India. The affected headcount has not been disclosed. Core game development teams remain largely unaffected. EA is currently in the process of being acquired in a $55 billion deal involving Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake Partners, and Affinity Partners.
Sources: GameNGuide
$100,000 H-1B Fee Remains in Effect as First Circuit Weighs Emergency Appeal
A $100,000 H-1B consular processing fee, imposed by presidential proclamation in September 2025, remains in legal limbo as of June 22. A Massachusetts federal court struck it down on June 8, finding it an unlawful tax violating the Administrative Procedure Act, then reinstated it via administrative stay on June 12. The government filed an emergency First Circuit appeal on June 18. As of June 22, the fee remains in effect while the appeal is heard; parallel litigation is also pending in the Northern District of California. Critically, the fee applies only to consular processing petitions — not to extensions, amendments, or changes of status.
Sources: DiRaimondo & Schroeder LLP
Allbirds Reborn as Smartbird Taps New CEO to Recruit an Entire AI Team from Zero
When Allbirds rebranded as Smartbird and pivoted from shoes to AI in April 2026 — selling its footwear business for $43 million and raising $100 million from the stock market — it was left with a plan but no team for the new venture. That changed June 18, when Nadia Carlsten, a former AWS executive and ex-CEO of European compute firm DCAI, stepped in as CEO. “We’re going to be recruiting a brand-new team for the AI business,” Carlsten told TechCrunch, citing infrastructure operations as her first open hire. Smartbird aims to provide managed AI compute clusters for data-sovereignty-sensitive clients in pharma, energy, finance, and the public sector.
Sources: TechCrunch
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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