Samwise High Tech Recruiting Newsletter
Tuesday, September 22, 2026
Seattle’s tech layoff drip shows no signs of stopping
Seattle’s technology sector has absorbed more than 20 rounds of layoffs since early August, according to a Monday report from Axios Seattle. Employer WARN notices filed through mid-August tallied 9,027 workers, with 75 percent coming from the information sector. King County’s unemployment rate hit 4.9 percent in August, above the 4.5 percent state average and representing 800 fewer information-sector jobs than a year earlier. Labor economist Anneliese Vance-Sherman called the pattern “a pretty concerning trend.” Companies with Washington state reductions include Amazon (121), Oracle (359), Qualtrics (117), Uber (93), Zillow (91), T-Mobile (77), Salesforce (59), TikTok (75), and Google (52).
Sources: Axios Seattle
Microsoft consolidates Xbox game studios in second major gaming cut of 2026
Microsoft is cutting hundreds of employees from its Xbox division and consolidating its game studios, The Information reported Monday in an exclusive briefing. The reduction comes roughly two and a half months after the company eliminated 4,800 positions company-wide in July — a cut that also disproportionately affected Xbox and its gaming studios, according to The Information. Monday’s briefing described the latest action as part of ongoing organizational streamlining within Microsoft Gaming. Layoff tracker TrueUp logged the event on September 21, 2026, listing it among the day’s notable technology sector workforce reductions.
Sources: The Information
2026 tech layoff tracker crosses 189,000 workers as pace hits 715 per day
TrueUp’s real-time layoff tracker counted 616 separate workforce reduction events at technology companies through September 22, 2026, with a cumulative total of 189,352 affected workers — an average of 715 per day for the year to date. The tracker compiles announcements from employer statements and press reports across the sector, covering reductions of any size from enterprise software to consumer hardware. The September 22 snapshot reflects ongoing activity: TrueUp logs new events as they are announced, making the tracker a frequently cited reference for recruiting professionals monitoring workforce trends across the industry.
274,000 open tech roles signal two-track market as layoffs continue
TrueUp’s tracker recorded 274,168 open positions at technology companies and funded startups as of September 22, 2026 — running alongside the same tracker’s cumulative layoff tally of 189,352 workers for the year. The parallel data points illustrate the uneven distribution of workforce changes across the sector: while layoffs have been substantial in aggregate, a significant number of roles remain actively posted. TrueUp aggregates open positions from company career pages and job boards alongside its layoff database, giving recruiting professionals a dual view of current labor market conditions in the technology industry.
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Curated by JD · samwise.agency