Silicon Valley tech layoffs approach 2025 totals

Tech companies in Silicon Valley have laid off 7,295 employees during the first half of 2026. This figure is only 9% short of the total number of job cuts recorded throughout all of 2025, according to an analysis by Joint Venture Silicon Valley.

Meta has contributed significantly to these numbers, having cut over 3,300 positions from its offices in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. The current rate of workforce reduction is on pace to be the most significant since 2023.

Russell Hancock, CEO of Joint Venture Silicon Valley, described the situation as a paradox, noting that while the innovation engine remains strong, it is not translating into job growth. He characterized the current state not as a recession, but as a boom where high innovation coexists with significant layoffs, potentially driven by pandemic-era overhiring and the emergence of new technologies like large language models.