'Today is your last working day': Oracle begins new round of layoffs; here's what the shocking 6 am email says

Tech layoffs 2026: Imagine opening your inbox on a Monday morning to find you no longer have a job. That's exactly what happened to a batch of Oracle employees, whose roles were axed as part of a "broader organisational change." The layoffs were expected to begin on Monday, Business Insider reported, citing a source aware of the matter. 

The latest round of layoffs at Oracle comes after the tech giant's workforce reduced by around 21,000 employees or 13% during fiscal 2026 that ended May 31, as per a recent filing. Before the current round of job cuts, Oracle had roughly 141,000 employees. Employees were offered 4 weeks' base salary and 1 week per year of employment. 

What was said in the email?

"We are sharing some difficult news regarding your position. After careful consideration of Oracle's current business needs, we have made the decision to eliminate your role as part of a broader organizational change. As a result, today is your last working day. We are grateful for your dedication, hard work, and the impact you have made during your time with us," an email, as accessed by Business Insider, read. 

It further listed the actions needed to be taken by the employees after signing their termination paperwork. 

"After signing your termination paperwork, you will be eligible to receive a severance package subject to the terms and conditions of the severance plan. You will receive an email from DocuSign to your Oracle email address with details on your severance and termination date," the email read. 

It also asked employees to submit a personal email address to receive follow-up information, including FAQs and separation documents, to help with the transition and share information related to severance agreements. 

"Access to your computer, email, voicemail, and files will be deactivated soon, and you will be unable to log into your computer. As a reminder, you are prohibited from downloading, copying or retaining (including emailing yourself any Oracle confidential information. Thank you for your contributions to our organization. If you have additional questions, please reach out to the HR team via the Ask HR page," the email further stated. 

Inside Oracle's $2.8 billion restructuring plan

The tech giant has expanded its fiscal 2026 restructuring plan, bringing the projected budget to $2.8 billion. Oracle recently added $700 million to its initial projected budget of $2.1 billion, primarily to cover severance payouts and facility exits. 

The additional restructuring comes at a time when Oracle is aggressively scaling up large-scale data center capacity to support AI compute workloads for major clients, including Sam Altman-led OpenAI. Building gigawatt-scale sites and procuring specialised hardware has significantly impacted Oracle's accounts, reflecting a negative cash flow of $5.4 billion in its last quarter.