Economy·80 stories·Updated August 18, 2026
Capital flows, agent-driven companies, the labour market, and the infrastructure firms reshaping how value moves.
More from Economy
Economy
Amazon cuts AGI jobs while doubling down on AI infrastructure
Amazon announced on July 22, 2026, that it was eliminating some roles within its artificial general intelligence organization, marking the latest in a series of smaller workforce reductions at the com
Economy
Visa cuts 2,600 jobs as AI reshapes payments work
Visa announced on July 28, 2026 that it will eliminate approximately 2,600 jobs—about 7% of its workforce—primarily in technology and product teams, with CEO Ryan McInerney explicitly citing artificia
Economy
AI cited in third of July layoffs, now on Fed's radar
U.S. employers announced 33,429 planned layoffs in July 2026, with artificial intelligence cited as the reason for 10,970 of them—33% of all cuts and the fifth consecutive month AI led stated reasons
Economy
Chime cuts 10% of workforce citing AI-driven efficiencies
Chime Financial, the San Francisco-based fintech, announced on July 31, 2026, that it is cutting approximately 10% of its workforce—roughly 140 to 150 jobs—as part of a shift toward AI-driven operatio
Economy
AI cited in 38,579 U.S. job cuts in May 2026, tops all reasons
Outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas reported that employers cited artificial intelligence in 38,579 job cuts during May 2026, making AI the leading stated reason for layoffs that month—the
Economy
GitLab cuts 350 jobs to fund AI infrastructure push
GitLab laid off approximately 350 employees—roughly 14% of its workforce—in June 2026, with the company stating the restructuring would free capital for AI infrastructure investment and support rapidl
Economy
Microsoft cuts 4,800 jobs in AI-driven restructuring
Microsoft announced a layoff round affecting approximately 4,800 employees on July 6, 2026, described as part of a broader restructuring centered on artificial intelligence and a "reset" of its gaming
Research
AI job displacement hits writers, programmers hardest
A new study analyzed by CNBC on August 8, 2026, found that writers and authors, computer programmers, and web and digital interface designers face the highest AI exposure risk among U.S. occupations,
Economy
Adecco: AI will not trigger employment collapse
Staffing firm Adecco Group AG said on 23 July 2026 that AI is unlikely to cause broad job losses, despite persistent displacement concerns. CEO Denis Machuel told Reuters the technology's impact on la
Economy
Monday.com cuts 20% of workforce in AI-platform restructure
Monday.com announced on July 22, 2026, that it will lay off roughly 600 employees—about 20% of its workforce—as part of a strategic pivot toward its AI Work Platform. The Tel Aviv-based work managemen
Business
Okta acquires Permiso Security for $200M
Okta, Inc. announced a definitive agreement to acquire identity security startup Permiso Security for approximately $200 million on July 30, 2026. The deal aims to integrate threat detection and respo
Economy
Cloudflare cuts 1,100 jobs to build 'agentic AI-first' ops
Cloudflare announced on May 7, 2026 that it would eliminate more than 1,100 roles—roughly 20% of its workforce—as part of a restructuring centered on deploying agentic AI across all functions and geog
Economy
Etsy cuts 220 jobs (12% of workforce) in restructuring push
Etsy announced on August 5, 2026 that it is laying off approximately 220 employees—about 12% of its workforce—as part of an organizational restructuring aimed at improving coordination and decision-ma
Economy
Uber cuts 10% of customer service jobs, citing AI automation
Uber Technologies reduced about 10% of its customer service and community operations team on July 22, 2026, citing a push to embrace artificial intelligence and simplify operations. The move affected
Economy
Meta cuts 8,000 jobs, shifts thousands to AI roles
Meta laid off approximately 8,000 employees—roughly 10% of its global workforce—in May 2026, while simultaneously reallocating thousands of workers into AI-focused positions, according to Reuters repo
Economy
Oracle cuts 21,000 jobs as AI deployment reshapes workforce
Oracle Corporation disclosed a 21,000-employee reduction over the 12 months ending May 31, 2026, with the company explicitly linking the cuts to AI adoption across its operations. The workforce fell f