People with knowledge of the situation say LinkedIn is changing where its resources go to support areas of the business that are growing quickly. LinkedIn expects to announce this on Wednesday, and it’s a sign that the big adjustments happening in the tech industry won’t be finished by 2026.
Strategy first: a targeted reorganisation
The purpose of these cuts is to organize teams and get the people doing the work where the need is increasing. The company hasn’t said which specific jobs will be removed, but LinkedIn has over 17,500 full-time workers around the world, so it will likely affect thousands of people.
One of these people also said this isn’t about artificial intelligence taking over jobs at LinkedIn. The main goal is to move employees to the areas of the company where things are improving, and reduce staff in other places, even as income continues to go up.
Scope and timing
Two people who are aware of the plans say LinkedIn will announce the job reductions on Wednesday. The company hasn’t revealed the exact number of positions being cut, and these people asked to remain anonymous.
Growth is up, but discipline tightens
LinkedIn’s income in the last three months increased 12% compared to the same three months last year, and this increase in growth happened in 2026, as indicated by Microsoft’s financial reports. The fact that they are cutting jobs at the same time as sales are going up shows a common approach in the industry: make a strong profit, be very focused on priorities, and put money into the best opportunities.
This plan fits with what LinkedIn already does, which includes tools for recruiting and paid subscriptions. Lowering expenses while concentrating on what’s driving growth could help them maintain their share of the market against other companies who are all competing for the money companies spend on hiring.
A broader 2026 tech reset
This is happening while many other tech companies are also letting people go. So far this year, over 103,000 tech jobs have been eliminated, and it’s nearly reaching the 124,000 that were removed throughout 2025.
A new round of changes, many of which are because of AI, are causing this. Companies are changing their budgets and speeding up investments in the basic systems and automated processes they use. In February, Jack Dorsey’s Block announced they would be removing almost half of their workforce.
Rival pressure: AI spend and headcount shifts
Meta is also reducing the number of employees as they increase their investment in AI. They are planning to lay off approximately 16,000 employees in the coming months, with the first round affecting around 8,000 workers starting May 20, 2026.
Alongside the job cuts, Meta has indicated they will be spending much more on infrastructure to support AI. They say their infrastructure spending will double this year to $125-145 billion, and will largely be for AI projects.
Why it matters for customers and the market
For people who use LinkedIn to find employees or for marketing, this restructuring means the company will be concentrating more on the products and processes that are doing the best. Because revenue is growing faster, doing things well and deciding what to focus on are what will make LinkedIn better than the competition, not just expanding in all directions.
Here are the key takeaways for readers and clients to note:
– LinkedIn plans to cut about 5% of staff
– Global headcount is more than 17,500 employees
– Revenue rose 12% in the latest quarter
– Roles refocused on areas where business is growing
– Move is not about AI replacing jobs
What comes next
We should find out officially from LinkedIn on Wednesday which teams will be most affected and how jobs will be moved around. What LinkedIn says about its plans for hiring in the areas where it is growing will give us a good indication of what the company is focusing on in the near future.
Generally, companies in the industry are still making a lot of cuts, even though many of them are making more money. This situation is leading to a new plan for 2026: invest a lot in the basic systems and products for the age of AI, keep the number of employees small, and move people to the areas where profits are increasing.
