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Focus mode Show Search [ ] Search Query Submit Search Advertisement Business Bay Area tech workers thought their jobs were safe. Then the 'golden handcuffs' came off Tech worker Evan Richardson stands beneath an illuminated terrace at City Hall in his hometown of Hayward, Calif. Tech worker Evan Richardson stands beneath an illuminated terrace at City Hall in his hometown of Hayward, Calif. (Paul Kuroda / For The Times) By Queenie WongStaff Writer April 28, 2025 Updated 9:15 AM PT * Share Share via Close extra sharing options + Email + Facebook + X + LinkedIn + Threads + Reddit + WhatsApp + Copy Link URL Copied! + Print * 40 * In California, companies in the first quarter of this year announced 17,874 cuts in technology. Meta, Google, Autodesk, Workday and others have slashed payrolls. * Companies are measuring people's productivity and performance more closely as they shift resources toward artificial intelligence investments. * These layoffs are a blow to a technology sector that is vital to California's economy, recently ranked as the world's fourth-largest. Evan Richardson grew up in Silicon Valley, surrounded by big tech companies that transformed how people live, socialize and work. As a curious kid, Richardson took apart electronics and put them back together. A career in technology seemed like a natural and safe path after his service in the military. "Tech was always an industry you go into, you're going to make a lot of money and you're never going to get fired," he said. Advertisement For thousands of tech workers like Richardson, those days are over. In March, the 43-year-old Hayward resident was caught off guard when he learned his employer, payment company Square, was eliminating his role as a development and operations engineer because of a reorganization. Square's parent company, Oakland-based Block, planned to shed 931 jobs, or 8% of its workforce, citing performance issues and the need to create a more streamlined operation. In California, the cuts will begin next month and affect 240 employees, including engineers, designers and writers, according to a notice sent to the state's Employment Development Department. The Block company logo is seen displayed on a smartphone screen. The Block company logo is seen displayed on a smartphone screen. (SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) Block is among major San Francisco Bay Area tech companies slashing their payrolls this year. Meta, Google, Autodesk, Workday and others also announced job cuts. Intel is planning to cut more than 20% of its workforce, Bloomberg reported. On Thursday, the Santa Clara-based chipmaker confirmed it would be laying off workers to "drive better, more efficient execution across the business." "I'm a big believer in the philosophy that the best leaders get the most done with the fewest people," Intel Chief Executive Lip-Bu Tan told employees in an email. The company lost $821 million in the first quarter. In a region known for boom and bust cycles, these tech industry layoffs are delivering a blow to a sector that is vital to California's economy, recently ranked as the world's fourth-largest. Advertisement In addition to supporting high salary jobs, tech companies offer employees stock options, so the state benefits from taxing capital gains, the profit earned when the shareholder sells their stock for a higher price. "When cuts are happening in Silicon Valley, traditionally it's affected everything from wages and taxes to even state revenues," said Kevin Klowden, executive director at the Milken Institute, an economic think tank in Santa Monica. The numbers are bleak, though not as bad as in 2023, when layoffs surged. U.S. tech companies announced 37,097 job cuts from January to March, down 13% from the same period last year, according to a report from Challenger, Gray & Christmas, a firm that offers job search and career transition coaching. In 2023, tech companies announced 102,391 cuts during the first three months of that year. Advertisement In California, companies in the first quarter of this year announced 17,874 cuts in technology, which includes businesses mainly engaged in the development of software or manufacturing of computer hardware, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas. The firm gathers data from news reports, company filings, annual reports, news releases and layoff notices. Overhiring during the pandemic, when more people turned to online shopping, videoconferencing and social media, fueled much of the layoffs in recent years, experts say. "A lot of these tech companies that hired to the moon are falling back down to Earth," said Andy Challenger, senior vice president at Challenger, Gray & Christmas. But other factors are driving the latest round of layoffs, economists say. They say that companies are measuring people's productivity and performance more closely, and that they are shifting resources toward artificial intelligence investments. Economic uncertainty prompted by regulatory changes such as tariffs and shifts in immigration policies are also driving businesses to rein in costs. illustration of a human hand leading a group of tin robots by a leash Business AI a job killer? In California it's complicated While the tech industry has been roiled by layoffs, the greater focus on AI could lead to new jobs in the future. March 20, 2024 "There's just a general unease about the economy, particularly over the last several months. We've seen a slowdown in hiring really across the board," said Dante DeAntonio, senior director of economic research at Moody's Analytics. Advertisement For tech workers reeling from all the job losses, the industry feels far less stable. Technology evolves rapidly, and so can a company's priorities. One day you're in, the next day you're out. Though some are weighing whether they want to stay in tech, others find it tough to let go of the high salaries, benefits and perks. Maria Jose Calero was laid off from Autodesk after six years at the San Francisco company, where she worked as a program manager and business partner. Autodesk, which makes software used by architects, designers and engineers, announced in February it will cut 1,350 positions, or roughly 9% of its workforce. It cited geopolitical and macroeconomic factors along with its efforts to invest more heavily in AI, a regulatory filing said. Those reasons were little consolation for Calero. The 36-year-old San Francisco resident said the tech industry offered stability and opportunities to grow her career. She is considering jobs in other industries, including healthcare and hospitality, but isn't sure they will pay enough to cover her bills, a mortgage and for her daughter's day care. Advertisement "Tech is hard to walk away from," she said. "It's like golden handcuffs because where do you find a salary that matches what you had?" With major companies such as Meta saying they're targeting low performers, unemployed workers have pushed back against the claims on social media. Among them is Adam Espinoza, who recently lost his job as a software engineer at Meta. In February the social network started cutting about 5% of its workforce, or roughly 3,600 employees, the latest in a series of job reductions in recent years. Espinoza said he met all expectations and was even talking to his manager about a promotion when he was told he would be let go. "That also indicates to me that I shouldn't have been on the chopping block, but here I was," the 28-year-old said. FILE - In this Sept. 24, 2019, file photo, a woman walks below a Google sign on the campus in Mountain View, Calif. On Wednesday, May 5, 2021, Google said that it expects about 20% of its workforce to still work remotely after the pandemic. In addition, some 60% will work a hybrid schedule that includes about three days in the office and two days wherever the employees work best. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File) Business Google and Meta used to champion DEI efforts. Why Big Tech is pulling back Tech companies, facing legal risks and a new political climate, are scaling back, cutting or rethinking efforts focused on diversity, equity and inclusion. Feb. 15, 2025 Like other workers, Espinoza said, he's seen a culture shift within tech companies, which have moved away from efforts to promote diversity. Advertisement At Meta, he said it felt like if you didn't consistently exceed expectations as an engineer, you could get replaced by artificial intelligence or the company could hire someone new for lower pay or less compensation. Attendees visit the Meta booth at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. Attendees visit the Meta booth at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. (Jeff Chiu / Associated Press) Still, Espinoza has no intention of leaving the industry. He grew up in Rosemead in the era of dial-up internet and AOL and was drawn to how engineers solved problems. His career in tech eventually brought him to San Francisco. "I'm planning on staying in the tech industry for now. It is definitely something that I love doing," he said. Chase Foti-Landis, who was laid off from his job at software company Zendesk, is still processing what happened. The San Francisco-based company said in February that it was laying off 51 employees in California, according to a notice filed with the state. The cuts included senior managers, the vice president of product and principal managers. Advertisement Though layoffs had happened in the company before, Foti-Landis said his team was already lean, so losing his security analyst job came as a "total surprise." Zendesk had slashed 8% of its workforce in 2023. "I was made to think that it could never happen to me," he said. Foti-Landis, 31, who worked at Zendesk for more than four years, pivoted into tech after working as a sales associate and a teacher. Pondering his next career move, he's thought about whether he should work outdoors as a park ranger. "So many times you'd just be working at a desk or working on the computer," he said, "and you look outside, and you're just like, 'God, it's gorgeous outside.'" More to Read * This photo provided by Kristin Jenn shows her in her National Park Service ranger uniform in Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska in October 2024, while she was a seasonal worker for the NPS. (Kristin Jenn via AP) Thrust into unemployment, axed federal workers face relatives who celebrate their firing March 8, 2025 * Signage is displayed outside HP Inc. headquarters in Palo Alto, California, U.S., on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2019. HP's board is still deliberating over a $33 billion takeover proposal from Xerox Holdings Corp., people familiar with the matter said, adding uncertainty to a potential blockbuster deal that would reshape the printing industry. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images More tech layoffs hit Bay Area as HP and Autodesk announce job cuts Feb. 28, 2025 * Tesla's car factory in Fremont, Calif. Voices California ruled with great jobs and boom times. What happened? Dec. 26, 2024 Show Comments BusinessTechnology and the InternetJobs, Labor & Workplace Newsletter Inside the business of entertainment The Wide Shot brings you news, analysis and insights on everything from streaming wars to production -- and what it all means for the future. Enter email address [ ] Sign Me Up You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. [] Queenie Wong Follow Us * X * Email * LinkedIn Queenie Wong is a general assignment Business reporter for the Los Angeles Times. She previously covered tech and entertainment policy. At CNET and the Mercury News, she wrote about the world's largest social networks. Wong also covered politics and education for the Statesman Journal in Salem, Ore. Growing up in Southern California, she started reading The Times as a kid and took her first journalism class in middle school. She graduated from Washington and Lee University, where she studied journalism and studio art. More From the Los Angeles Times * ORANGE, CA - MARCH 09: Lawrence Thomas pictured in his car at his home in Orange on Wednesday, March 9, 2022 is a delivery driver for Uber Eats, DoorDash and Grubhub and has completed over 6000 deliveries. Thomas has a plea for customers: please tip well. As gas prices soar, drivers like Thomas are paying more out of pocket for vehicle costs, including gas.(Photo by Leonard Ortiz/ MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images) Business DoorDash asks judge to dismiss Uber lawsuit over web ordering services April 25, 2025 * Long Beach, CA - October 14: Various Olympic Venues Long Beach on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024 in Long Beach, CA. The parking lot of the Convention Center (often dubbed the Elephant Lot) will be used for water polo and artistic swimming while the Pacific Ballroom at The Arena (often still called The Arena) will host handball, making it the largest venue in Long Beach hosting events. Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson photographed at his office in Long Beach City Hall. The 2028 Summer Olympics, or LA28, will be hosted by Los Angeles but will have impacts on Long Beach as it will host venues for the 2028 Summer Olympics. (Al Seib / For the Los Angeles Times) Business Long Beach Convention Center operator reaches deal with union after wage complaint April 23, 2025 * A worker delivers Amazon packages in San Francisco, California, US, on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022. Amazon.com Inc. will hold a second Prime Day sale on Oct. 11 and Oct. 12 to boost sales among cost-conscious consumers who are expected to start their holiday shopping even earlier this year. 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