Oracle layoffs not about ‘doing more with less,’ says CFO Hilary Maxson
Oracle has reported strong financial results, and the company's CFO said that employees should be proud of that performance.
- Sep 16, 2026,
- Updated Sep 16, 2026 12:51 PM IST
Oracle layoffs continue to create uncertainty among employees as the company conducts another major round of job cuts as it looks to simplify processes. Soon after the layoff news broke out, Chief Financial Officer Hilary Maxson, in a company-wide meeting on September 15, told employees that the restructuring is not about “doing more with less,” according to a Business Insider report.
Reportedly, Oracle has reported strong financial results, and Maxsons said employees should be proud of that performance. At the same time, she wants employees to protect those gains by making careful decisions about spending, resources, and operations.
Must read: Oracle layoffs hit India: Engineers, senior employees affected as cuts spread globally
"This means being thoughtful about where we spend our time and money," Maxson said. "I don't mean doing more with less, which is a phrase that I really, really don't like. It means simplifying processes that don't help customers and making clear choices on where we're going to use our resources where they have the greatest impact."
Maxson’s claims shed light on Oracle's priorities as its investing heavily in data centres and AI infrastructure. Instead of returns, the company has more debt as it has taken on tens of billions of dollars in debt to fund this expansion. Reportedly, the latest layoffs are intended to lower payroll expenses and help offset the cost of these investments.
Oracle spent $28.5 billion on capital expenditures in Q1, compared with $8.5 billion a year earlier. The company is projected to spend more, as it has kept its FY2027 capital expenditure guidance at $90 billion–$95 billion.
However, during the company-wide meeting, the leadership did not address the ongoing layoffs and largely talked about growth, customer demand, and AI-driven opportunities. As far as layoffs are concerned, Oracle has laid off over 21,000 employees in the 2026 fiscal year. The second round of layoffs is said to impact between 5000 and 6000 employees globally.
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Oracle layoffs continue to create uncertainty among employees as the company conducts another major round of job cuts as it looks to simplify processes. Soon after the layoff news broke out, Chief Financial Officer Hilary Maxson, in a company-wide meeting on September 15, told employees that the restructuring is not about “doing more with less,” according to a Business Insider report.
Reportedly, Oracle has reported strong financial results, and Maxsons said employees should be proud of that performance. At the same time, she wants employees to protect those gains by making careful decisions about spending, resources, and operations.
Must read: Oracle layoffs hit India: Engineers, senior employees affected as cuts spread globally
"This means being thoughtful about where we spend our time and money," Maxson said. "I don't mean doing more with less, which is a phrase that I really, really don't like. It means simplifying processes that don't help customers and making clear choices on where we're going to use our resources where they have the greatest impact."
Maxson’s claims shed light on Oracle's priorities as its investing heavily in data centres and AI infrastructure. Instead of returns, the company has more debt as it has taken on tens of billions of dollars in debt to fund this expansion. Reportedly, the latest layoffs are intended to lower payroll expenses and help offset the cost of these investments.
Oracle spent $28.5 billion on capital expenditures in Q1, compared with $8.5 billion a year earlier. The company is projected to spend more, as it has kept its FY2027 capital expenditure guidance at $90 billion–$95 billion.
However, during the company-wide meeting, the leadership did not address the ongoing layoffs and largely talked about growth, customer demand, and AI-driven opportunities. As far as layoffs are concerned, Oracle has laid off over 21,000 employees in the 2026 fiscal year. The second round of layoffs is said to impact between 5000 and 6000 employees globally.
For Unparalleled coverage of India's Businesses and Economy – Subscribe to Business Today Magazine