Oracle Announces Mass Layoffs, Ex-Employee Claims System Targeted Senior Executives with Unvested Stock Options

Oracle Layoffs Spark Debate Over Targeted Job Cuts

The massive-scale layoffs at Oracle have already sparked widespread discussion. Now, a former longtime employee has added a fresh angle to the debate, suggesting that the job cuts may not have been as random as they appeared.

Nina Lewis, who spent more than three decades at Oracle and most recently served as a Security Alert Manager, shared her experience of getting laid off in a LinkedIn post that quickly began circulating online. Mint has not been able to verify the person's claims independently.

According to Lewis's post, she was among the 30,000 employees laid off by Oracle, a number that represents around 19% of the company's total workforce of 162,000 people as of May 2025. The layoffs were announced on April 1, with employees across sales, human resources, engineering, and developer roles facing the brunt.

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The layoff was reportedly not based on employee performance, but was largely part of a cost-cutting measure, according to a BBC report. The decision was intended to reallocate funds to aggressive AI data centers, according to media reports.

Lewis's post suggests that the job cuts may have disproportionately affected experienced employees with unvested equity. She hinted that the layoffs may have followed an algorithm of high-level individual contributors and mid-level managers, especially those with outstanding stock options.

Several employees appeared to resonate with Lewis's post, with hundreds of workers sharing similar experiences after losing their jobs this week. Across LinkedIn, young professionals and industry veterans have posted about the layoffs, with many now actively seeking new opportunities.

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Oracle has offered severance pay to the affected employees. A Business Insider report said that the impacted workers based in the United States will receive four weeks' base salary, plus one week of severance for each additional year of employment. However, that number goes up to 26 weeks.

The company has also tapped debt markets to finance its expansion, with plans to raise $50 billion in debt and equity in January. Currently, there are no more plans to raise debt in 2026.