LinkedIn to Lay Off 850-900 Employees

LinkedIn, the Microsoft-owned professional networking platform, announced plans Wednesday to lay off about 5 percent of its global workforce, affecting roughly 850 to 900 employees across engineering, product, marketing, and sales functions.

LinkedIn Chief Executive Daniel Shapero informed staff in a memo that the cuts stem from organizational changes aimed at delivering greater impact to users and improving profitability. "The reductions will impact a range of job functions, including engineering, product and marketing," Shapero wrote. A company spokesperson described the moves as part of regular business planning to position the division for future success.

The platform, which employs more than 17,500 people worldwide, reported revenue of $17.8 billion in Microsoft's most recent fiscal year, ended in June. In the fiscal third quarter of 2026, LinkedIn's revenue rose 12 percent year-over-year, accelerating from prior periods amid stronger user engagement and growth in paid video advertising and AI-powered hiring tools, which recently reached a $450 million annual run rate.

Executives framed the layoffs as a restructuring to shift resources toward faster-growing areas and...