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Meta is cutting 168 positions in Washington state, predominantly impacting its Reality Labs division across Seattle, Redmond, and Bellevue. These layoffs, effective May 8, are part of a broader company-wide restructuring and follow previous reductions as Meta emphasizes efficiency and AI integration.
Smartsheet has announced four C-suite changes, including two new hires and two promotions, as CEO Rajeev Singh continues to build his leadership team after recent layoffs. Separately, fashion rental startup Armoire has appointed Morgan Cundiff as head of product and machine learning. Additionally, long-time Microsoft director Javier Páramo has launched AIQLinea, a new Redmond-based startup focused on guiding companies through AI adoption strategies.
EA has announced layoffs across its Battlefield studios (Criterion, Dice, Ripple Effect, Motive) despite Battlefield 6 achieving record-breaking sales of 7 million copies in three days and being the best-selling game of 2025 in the US. The cuts are part of a "realignment" for live service support, following significant player criticism over monetization, AI cosmetics, and content updates, which led to a sharp drop in concurrent players and Steam review scores.
Block, Jack Dorsey's company, cut over 4,000 staff (40%) despite strong financial performance, attributing it to new AI efficiencies and a pivot to an "intelligence-native" operational model. This move, driven by a focus on "agentic AI infrastructure," signals a fundamental shift in how tech companies might scale and manage operations. It prompts other enterprises to audit their own workflows for similar AI-driven consolidation.
Block, led by Jack Dorsey, slashed over 4,000 employees, nearly half its global workforce, citing AI as a proactive strategy to boost agility. Dorsey predicted similar widespread cuts across the industry. The move sent Block's stock soaring over 24% in after-hours trading.
Asha Sharma takes the helm as Microsoft Gaming's new CEO, following Phil Spencer's retirement and Sarah Bond's resignation. Despite her lack of gaming experience and AI background, industry analysis suggests her best initial move may be to foster stability. By allowing Xbox's robust studios to operate without the threat of further layoffs or closures, she could leverage the company's strong game pipeline and rebuild its reputation.
Meta's flagship metaverse service, Horizon Worlds, is decoupling from its Quest VR platform and shifting its focus predominantly to mobile. This strategic pivot follows significant financial losses in Meta's mixed reality division and internal layoffs, signaling a move away from an all-encompassing VR metaverse vision toward mobile engagement, augmented reality, and AI investments.
Phil Spencer retires as Microsoft Gaming CEO after 38 years; Sarah Bond leaves Xbox presidency. Asha Sharma (ex-CoreAI) named new CEO, Matt Booty promoted. No layoffs promised amid leadership pivot.
Ubisoft has laid off approximately 40 staff at its Toronto studio, impacting individuals working on the *Splinter Cell remake*. The company confirms the game remains in development, despite the cuts. These layoffs are part of a broader organizational restructuring following other studio reductions and a recent employee strike.
