6 am email, 30,000 jobs gone: Oracle layoffs shock 12,000 in India, hit globally

After weeks of speculation, fresh reports suggest that Oracle has begun a sweeping round of layoffs, with a significant impact on its workforce in India. Employees across teams woke up to early morning emails, some as early as 5–6 am, informing them that their positions had been eliminated with immediate effect.

The layoffs are believed to have impacted parts of Oracle’s computing business across regions, including India and Mexico. While the company has not officially confirmed the scale, chatter on social media platforms such as Blind, Reddit and X indicates widespread job cuts.

India appears to be among the worst-hit. According to accounts circulating online, nearly 12,000 employees in India have been laid off out of a workforce of around 30,000, ANI reported. Globally, the number of job cuts is being pegged at close to 30,000, roughly 18% of Oracle’s total workforce, though there has been no official confirmation.

One X user wrote, “Just got a call from a friend who is a senior manager (at Oracle). 6 out of 20 members have been asked to leave. In many teams, almost 50% of team members are gone. Total layoffs are almost 20%.”

Several affected employees also took to Reddit to describe the abrupt nature of the layoffs. “Just got an email at 5 am over 20 years of service nice,” one user wrote. Another said, “Laid off as well. 6 am on the nose was about to complete four years next month.”

Many employees said there were no prior HR discussions or manager calls, adding to the shock. The emails reportedly came directly from “Oracle Leadership,” and in several cases, access to internal systems was revoked almost immediately after the message was delivered.

In an internal communication, Oracle said employees were being informed about organisational changes and that “because of these changes, a decision has been taken to streamline the operations, and as a result, unfortunately, the position you currently hold will become redundant.”

The company has reportedly offered a severance package that includes 15 days’ salary for each year of service, one month’s notice pay, leave encashment, gratuity based on eligibility and a two-month salary top-up. However, the package is said to be available to those who voluntarily resign.

Sources also indicated that another round of layoffs could take place within a month, though this remains unconfirmed.

The move comes as Oracle ramps up investments in artificial intelligence infrastructure and data centres, signalling a broader realignment of resources. Similar cost-cutting measures have been seen across the tech industry, with companies like Amazon laying off thousands earlier this year to prioritise AI spending.

An ex-employee, Merugu Sridhar, claimed he was laid off earlier after protesting against long working hours. “I contacted my friends and those who are in human resources. They shared that most of the Indians working in the US with the company have been impacted because the local laws there are very strict when it comes to the retrenchment of their citizens,” he said.

While Oracle has declined to comment officially, the scale and suddenness of the reported layoffs have left employees across India and other regions grappling with uncertainty.