Oracle Layoffs Return With a 6 AM Shock Employees Told “Today Is Your Last Working Day”

The 6 AM Email That Warned Employees Their Jobs Were Gone

The way Oracle communicated the latest cuts has become one of the biggest talking points.

According to affected employees and reports reviewed by Business Insider, some employees first discovered that their federated logins had stopped working around 4 a.m. Eastern Time.

Slack access reportedly disappeared between approximately 5 a.m. and 5:30 a.m., with some employees also finding their office badge access had stopped working.

Then, at around 6 a.m., the termination email arrived from “Oracle Leadership.”

The sequence closely resembles Oracle's earlier layoff process in March.

For affected workers, the email effectively marked the end of their employment that same day.

How Many Oracle Employees Were Laid Off This Time?

Oracle has not announced an official number.

Reports indicate that employees across multiple departments were affected, with some teams experiencing reductions exceeding 10%. However, these figures should not be treated as the total number of layoffs.

This is important because estimates circulating online have suggested much larger numbers.

Oracle has not confirmed those figures for the September 14 round.

What is confirmed is that the company has already reduced its workforce significantly over the past year.

Oracle Already Cut 21,000 Jobs

Oracle's latest layoffs come after a major workforce reduction during fiscal 2026.

The company's global workforce fell by approximately 21,000 employees, or 13%, during the year.

Oracle had around 141,000 employees as of May 31, 2026, compared with approximately 162,000 a year earlier. The company spent about $1.84 billion on severance and other restructuring-related costs during the fiscal year.

The September layoffs therefore come on top of an already significant reduction in Oracle's workforce.

Oracle Adds Another $700 Million to Restructuring Costs

The latest layoffs also come days after Oracle disclosed that its restructuring programme was getting more expensive.

On September 11, Oracle said it was increasing the expected cost of its 2026 Restructuring Plan by approximately $700 million.

That takes the projected total cost of the restructuring programme to approximately $2.8 billion, with the majority of the expenses related to employee severance and other restructuring actions.

Oracle had already accrued approximately $2.1 billion under the plan.

The additional $700 million was described by the company as reflecting additional actions it expects to take.

That disclosure now provides important context for the fresh round of layoffs.

Why Is Oracle Cutting Jobs Again?

Oracle is simultaneously pursuing one of the technology industry's biggest AI infrastructure expansions.

The company is spending billions of dollars building data centres to support growing demand for AI and cloud computing.

That strategy requires enormous capital expenditure and has put pressure on Oracle's cash flow.

Oracle reported $5.4 billion in negative free cash flow in the latest quarter, while Reuters reported that the company plans to raise around $40 billion through debt and equity during the fiscal year to support its expansion.

Oracle's restructuring is therefore happening alongside a massive investment cycle.

The company is trying to reduce costs and simplify operations while directing more capital toward high-growth areas such as AI infrastructure.

Is AI Directly Responsible for the Oracle Layoffs?

Not every Oracle job cut can be attributed directly to AI.

The company's restructuring is broader and includes organisational changes, efficiency measures and workforce reductions.

However, AI is an important part of the backdrop.

Oracle is investing heavily in data centres and cloud infrastructure because demand for AI computing is growing rapidly. At the same time, the company has identified AI adoption and deployment as one of the factors influencing changes to its workforce.

So the more accurate story is not simply “AI replaced 21,000 Oracle employees.”

It is that Oracle is restructuring its workforce while aggressively redirecting resources toward the AI and cloud infrastructure opportunity.

Could Oracle Layoffs Hit India Next?

India is an important part of Oracle's global workforce and technology operations.

Reports have raised concerns that Oracle's India Development Centre could face additional cuts following the latest US layoffs.

However, Oracle has not announced a confirmed number of India employees affected by the September round.

Therefore, claims about a specific number of upcoming India layoffs should be treated as unconfirmed.

For Indian technology professionals, however, the development is significant because Oracle's restructuring has already affected its global workforce.

What About Severance?

For affected US employees, reports indicate that Oracle is offering four weeks of base salary for the first year of employment, plus one additional week for every subsequent year, subject to a reported maximum of 26 weeks.

The latest notification reportedly made the day of the email the employee's final working day.

Severance arrangements for employees in other countries can differ because local employment laws and contracts apply.

Another Layoff Round Shows Oracle's Restructuring Isn't Over

The latest layoffs are significant because they arrive after Oracle had already eliminated approximately 13% of its workforce in fiscal 2026.

The company has now increased its restructuring budget to $2.8 billion, while continuing to pour billions into AI infrastructure.

And the latest round does not appear to be a one-off event.

Oracle's own filing says the additional $700 million reflects further actions it expects to take.

That means the September 14 layoffs may not be the final chapter of Oracle's restructuring.

For employees, the most unsettling part may be that the next round could arrive with little warning.

For Oracle, the challenge is different: can it reduce costs quickly enough to fund its enormous AI infrastructure ambitions without weakening the workforce needed to run the business?

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