TechCrunch Running Tally: 120K Tech Roles Cut in 2026 With AI as the Most-Cited Reason — Microsoft's July 6 Cut of 4,800 Jobs (Sales + Xbox) Lands as the Latest Marquee Entry

TechCrunch's updated 2026 layoff tracker, refreshed at 11:35am PDT on July 6, puts the year-to-date total at ~120,000 tech roles cut with AI the single most-cited driver, and adds Microsoft's newly announced 4,800 job cuts (2.1% of global headcount) as the latest entry. Layoffs.fyi data cited in the piece shows May was the worst single month for tech layoffs in years. Microsoft leadership said the roles are 'not being replaced by AI' but acknowledged AI is 'changing how work gets done' — the running list also reflects Meta's ~8,000 May cuts, Snap's ~1,000 (16%) reduction, and Intuit's ~3,000 (17%) restructuring.