LinkedIn plans to lay off 668 staff, mostly from its engineering team, after cutting 716 jobs in May 2023; a source says LinkedIn is ramping up hiring in India

- LinkedIn is cutting almost 700 employees as revenue growth has slowed over the past two years.

CNBC 2023-10-17 Jordan Novet

Context & Ripple Effects

LinkedIn had already cut 716 roles and closed its China-focused InCareer app amid competition and a difficult macroeconomic environment. This new reduction extends that earlier retrenchment, rather than marking an isolated staffing adjustment.

The combination of slower revenue growth, engineering layoffs, and reported hiring expansion in India points to a narrower reset of where LinkedIn places technical capacity.

First-order effects

LinkedIn will eliminate 668 positions, with engineering staff bearing most of the immediate impact.
The reported ramp in India means LinkedIn’s technical workforce footprint is being rebalanced even as overall headcount is reduced.

Second-order effects

Remaining engineering teams may have to absorb work and reprioritize projects as the company aligns capacity with slower growth.
The move strengthens India’s role in LinkedIn’s staffing model while reducing opportunities for affected engineering employees elsewhere.

Third-order effects

If repeated, this pattern would make workforce optimization less about blanket cuts and more about shifting technical work toward locations and functions management sees as higher-value.
For subscription-led platforms facing slower growth, headcount discipline can become an ongoing operating model rather than a one-time response to a downturn.

The trend: LinkedIn is part of a broader shift in which slower-growing digital platforms trim established teams while reallocating technical capacity across geographies.

Discussion

@daveleebbg Dave Lee on threads
Is an enjoyable social network compatible with being a good business? Twitter sucked once it had to make money; Facebook fell once it became full of crap in the service of ads; Reddit going nowhere because it hasn't figured this out yet. Maybe LinkedIn is doing this in reverse?
@crumbler Casey Newton on threads
Next time someone writes one of those “LinkedIn is having a moment” pieces (which arrive once a week lately), see if they mention that its revenue growth has slowed every quarter for two years and that it just laid off 700 people https://www.cnbc.com/...
@akshaynarisetti Akshay Narisetti on x
@tanmay976 I don't think Ai has anything to do with these layoffs of today. I bet Ai cannot replace not even a single talent laid off today. Mostly a part of their Org Restructuring and Financial Goals of LinkedIn
@bshelton_1776 Ben Shelton on x
@sarafischer ... Good. Maybe they can include a re-launch and put rules in place to keep it a professional environment instead of the Facebook II it has become.
@akshaynarisetti Akshay Narisetti on x
Layoffs at LinkedIn Internal Email:- Cutting following Roles across R&D •Engineering Management: 137 •Product: 38 •Engineering: 368 Such wild times we live in, this is the second round of layoffs from LinkedIn
@mr_derivatives Heisenberg on x
LinkedOut, I mean LinkedIn, the hiring company, is doing the opposite today. Must be awkward for LinkedIn ex-employees to search for a job on....well LinkedIn. [image]
r/technology r on reddit
LinkedIn lays off 668 employees in second cut this year
r/developersIndia r on reddit
Microsoft-owned LinkedIn lays off nearly 700 employees — read the memo here
r/recruitinghell r on reddit
LinkedIn lays off nearly 700 employees
r/Economics r on reddit
Microsoft-owned LinkedIn lays off nearly 700 employees — read the memo here
r/technology r on reddit
LinkedIn to lay off hundreds of people amid broader restructuring
r/business r on reddit
LinkedIn to lay off hundreds amid broader restructuring

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