Oracle layoffs: Ex-employee alleges algorithm targeted senior executives with unvested stock
Major layoffs at Oracle have already sparked widespread controversy. Now, a former long-term employee has added a new perspective to the debate, suggesting the layoffs may not be as random as they seem.
Nina Lewis, who spent more than three decades at Oracle and most recently served as Security Alert Manager, shared her experience of being laid off in a LinkedIn post that quickly went viral.
Mint was unable to independently verify the person’s claims.
“After 34 (33 of which were great) years at Oracle, I joined the 30,000 people laid off today. Quite a shock. Many of my best colleagues were also laid off,” he wrote in his post.
Was the layoff algorithm targeting senior employees?
However, the most striking part of his post was his suggestion about how the layoffs might have been carried out.
“The layoffs appear to follow an algorithm of top individual contributors and mid-level managers — especially those with outstanding stock options,” he said, implying that layoffs at Oracle may have disproportionately affected experienced employees with unvested equity.
While many employees responded positively to Lewis’ post, several others shared similar experiences after losing their jobs this week. Hundreds of employees, including young professionals and industry veterans, have posted about the layoffs on LinkedIn, and many are now actively seeking new opportunities.
Oracle layoffs – what happened?
Oracle announced 30,000 layoffs on Wednesday, the largest tech layoff in the past 12 months. However, according to BBC news, it was reported that the decision was not based on the performance of employees, but was largely part of a cost-cutting measure.
Employees in sales, human resources, engineering, and developer roles faced this challenge after receiving an email from company management at 6 a.m. on April 1 (in all time zones) citing a “broader organizational change.”
According to media reports, the layoff, which affected approximately 19% of Oracle’s total workforce, was primarily intended to reallocate funds to aggressive AI data centers.
The company offered severance pay to affected employees. According to a report from Business Insider, affected US-based workers will receive four weeks of base pay plus one week of severance pay for each additional year of work. However, this number goes up to 26 weeks.
Oracle, which employs 162,000 people as of May 2025, has tapped debt markets to finance its expansion. In January, the company announced plans to raise $50 billion in debt and equity. There are currently no plans to raise debt in 2026.
