Oracle layoffs: Ex-employee alleges algorithm targeted senior executives with unvested stock

The massive-scale of the layoffs at Oracle has 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.

“Well, after 34 (33 of them great) years at Oracle, I join the 30,000 or so laid off today. Quite a shock. Many of the absolute best colleagues were laid off as well,” she wrote in the post.

Was the layoff algorithm targeted at senior employees?

However, the most attention-grabbing part of her post was her suggestion about how the layoffs may have been carried out.

“It seems layoffs follow an algorithm of high level individual contributors and mid-level managers - especially those with outstanding stock options, she said hinting at,” she said, hinting that the job cuts at Oracle may have disproportionately affected experienced employees with unvested equity.

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

Oracle layoffs — what happened?

On Wednesday, Oracle announced 30,000 job cuts, marking the biggest single tech layoff in the last 12 months. However, the decision was reportedly not based on employee performance, but was largely part of a cost-cutting measure, according to a BBC report.

Employees across sales, human resources, engineering and developer roles faced the brunt after receiving an email from the company’s leadership at 6 AM (in all time zones) on 1 April, citing “broader organisational change”.

The layoff, which affected around 19% of Oracle's total workforce, was primarily intended to reallocate funds to aggressive AI data centres, according to media reports.

The company 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.

Oracle, which employed 162,000 people as of May 2025, tapped debt markets to finance its expansion. In January, the company announced it plans to raise $50 billion in debt and equity. Currently, there are no more plans to raise debt in 2026.