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Less than a month into the year, American technology companies have already laid off 10,000 people. Several companies cited cost-cutting as one of the reasons for the layoffs, and there are also views that the layoffs are related to the development of artificial intelligence technology.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has called 2023 "the year of efficiency." For all of 2023, hundreds of U.S. tech companies cut jobs, for a total of more than 170,000, according to Layoffs, a website that tracks layoffs in the tech industry.

In 2024, layoffs at U.S. tech companies continue.

Layoffs.fyi data show that since the beginning of the year, as of January 26, there have been Google, Microsoft, Amazon, eBay, Unity and other dozens of US technology companies announced layoffs, which know the specific number of layoffs of enterprises, the total number of layoffs of more than 10,000, there are more than 20 companies layoffs, do not know the specific number of layoffs.

A number of high-profile technology companies have announced layoffs this month. Several companies cited cost-cutting as one reason for the layoffs.

According to CNBC, game engine company Unity said on January 8 that it will lay off about 1,800 people, or 25 percent of its workforce. Unity said in a filing that it expects to significantly cut costs and fees in the first quarter of 2024.

On Jan. 10, an executive at Amazon's live-streaming unit Twitch said in a memo to employees that Twitch would lay off about 500 employees. Twitch CEO Dan Clancy said the layoffs are an effort to resize the company and bring headcount in line with the current size of the business.

The Guardian reported on January 11 that Google has laid off 1,000 employees in its hardware, voice assistant and engineering teams as part of cost-cutting measures, according to the union of Google's parent company Alphabet.

According to CNBC, furniture e-commerce platform Wayfair announced on January 19 that the company will continue its efforts to streamline its structure, cut management layers and reduce costs, and will cut 13% of its global workforce. The company said it plans to cut about 1,650 employees, with a focus on management and leadership.

On Jan. 22, game developer Riot Games, maker of League of Legends, also announced that it would cut about 530 positions worldwide, or about 11% of its workforce, with the decision affecting teams outside the core development team the most. The company has too many things going on, some of the major investments it has made have not paid off as expected, and the company's costs have grown to the point where they are unsustainable.

Online auction site eBay said on Jan. 23 that it plans to cut 9% of its workforce, equivalent to about 1,000 full-time jobs. eBay CEO Jamie Iano told employees in a letter that the company will also reduce the number of contracts for alternate employees in the coming months. Iano said the cuts were necessary because eBay's total headcount and expenses had outpaced the growth of the business.

Microsoft is cutting about 1,900 jobs in its gaming division, according to a report by CNBCJan. 25. Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer said the layoffs are part of a larger "execution plan" that will reduce "areas of overlap."

There is a view that the layoffs of technology companies are related to the development of artificial intelligence technology.

According to CNBC, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said this month that there will be more layoffs this year as the company continues to shift investments to areas such as artificial intelligence.

In a memo sent to Google employees on Jan. 17, Pichai said: "We have ambitious goals and will be investing in our big priorities this year." Pichai said that in order to create the capacity for this investment, Google had to make tough choices. For some teams, that means eliminating positions, including "removing layers to simplify execution and increase speed."

An EY report released in December 2023 said that in early 2023, when the industry's valuations were under pressure from macroeconomic weakness, technology companies turned to cost savings and sizing to support margins. In addition to achieving the main objectives, these measures free up funds to invest in new technologies to drive future growth. The company sees artificial intelligence as the most promising of these technologies, offering growth prospects for the entire industry, including hardware, software, and services.

According to Reuters, Jill Luria, an analyst at D.A. Davidson & Co, said that no company wants to be left behind by the AI revolution, and they are all making sure they have these capabilities and making them a priority, even if it comes at the expense of other initiatives.

GlobalData analyst Beatriz Valle believes AI is bringing a lot of energy, but that only means tech companies will change their hiring priorities.