Samwise High Tech Recruiting Newsletter
Thursday, July 23, 2026
Amazon Cuts Jobs in AGI Unit as Targeted Restructuring Continues
Amazon has quietly reduced headcount in its artificial general intelligence unit, which oversees AI model development, silicon chip design, and quantum computing research. The company confirmed the cuts but declined to disclose how many employees were affected. A spokesperson said the reductions reflect a decision to “sharpen focus on the initiatives that matter most for customers.” The move continues a prolonged restructuring cycle: Amazon has shed more than 30,000 workers since October 2024 through multiple targeted rounds. The AGI unit layoffs signal that even the company’s highest-profile AI research functions are not immune to workforce rationalization amid industry-wide cost pressure.
Monday.com Cuts 630 Jobs — 20% of Workforce — to Reposition as AI Work Platform
Workplace software maker Monday.com has announced it will cut approximately 630 employees, roughly 20 percent of its global workforce, as part of a strategic pivot toward artificial intelligence. The Israeli-founded company expects to record between $45 million and $55 million in one-time restructuring charges tied to the reduction. Leadership framed the cuts as necessary to build “a leaner, more focused operating model” capable of competing as an AI Work Platform. Monday.com joins a growing list of SaaS companies shedding headcount to redirect resources toward AI development, raising fresh questions about where the software industry’s next wave of talent demand will originate.
Sources: TechCrunch Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
AI Skills Gap Persists Despite Widening Personal Use, CompTIA Research Finds
Despite widespread adoption of AI tools, a persistent skills gap is undermining enterprise AI returns, according to new CompTIA research. A survey of 1,000 business and technology professionals found that fewer than one in four AI interactions are tied to business activities, and fewer than a third of users consider themselves highly familiar with the technology. CompTIA’s VP of Research warns that companies cannot assume new hires will arrive AI-ready: “That assumption needs to be validated.” The findings put pressure on HR and IT leaders to build robust training programs and forge tighter CIO-CHRO alignment before AI budgets outpace organizational readiness.
48% of Hiring Managers Would Choose AI Over Hiring a New College Grad, Survey Finds
Hiring managers are increasingly choosing AI over entry-level recruitment, with 48 percent saying they would rather invest in AI tools than hire and train a recent college graduate, per a ResumeTemplates.com survey of 1,000 U.S. hiring managers. More than half have already shifted some entry-level hiring budget to AI, and 45 percent now ask one senior employee plus AI to handle work once assigned to several junior staff. Concerns about readiness run deep: 70 percent cited character concerns about recent graduates, and 41 percent said new hires can’t write a professional email. Still, 65 percent of employers plan to maintain or increase graduate hiring this year.
Federal HR Agency Lost 35% of Its Workforce Under Trump, GAO Watchdog Reports
America’s federal HR agency has lost more than a third of its workforce in just over a year, according to a new Government Accountability Office report. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management shed more than 1,000 employees between December 2024 and March 2026, with 59 percent departing through the Trump administration’s deferred resignation program and 10 percent through formal reductions in force. GAO warned the losses have “reduced institutional knowledge and operational capacity” and risk worsening skills gaps that have appeared on the watchdog’s High-Risk List since 2001. OPM has proposed AI adoption and IT modernization to compensate for reduced staffing.
Curated by JD · samwise.agency